Overview
- Members of Animal Rebellion entered Günther Felßner’s farm in March 2025 with banners, placards and pyrotechnics to protest his proposed appointment as federal agriculture minister and alleged animal‑welfare problems.
- On June 17, 2026 a judge in Nürnberg found five defendants guilty of Hausfriedensbruch and sentenced them to 40–60 day‑fines, reported at roughly €1,200 to €2,000, while one defendant was acquitted and one proceeding was separated; the rulings are not yet final.
- Felßner testified that the action left his family shaken, said their lives were changed and called the protest a 'terrorist' act, and his wife Doris described ongoing anxiety when she works in the farm’s stable.
- Defendants maintained the protest was peaceful and argued a public path made the property boundary unclear, and a Kriminalpolizei investigator said he saw no sign of a readiness for violence.
- After the protest veterinary inspectors found deficiencies on the farm and Peta filed a complaint that prosecutors later discontinued, and the case highlights broader tensions over when farm entry by activists is civil disobedience or criminal trespass and what legal steps will follow.