A “60 Minutes” special on German hate speech laws which featured police raids on citizens across the country has sparked a potential diplomatic fallout between the U.S. and Germany and led to outrage on social media
The 60 Minutes footage, a program from the American news network CBS, prompted Elon Musk to respond to the shocking clips, writing: “Thank the Lord that America has freedom of speech.”
Despite criticism for Germany’s slide towards an authoritarian police state, the police authorities and the interior ministry show no signs of slowing down with raids against individuals posting “hate speech,” “insults,’ or “racist memes.”
Now, German politicians are also chiming in, with a top member of the Free Democrats (FDP), MP Wolfgang Kubicki, stating on X: “Anyone who can still sleep peacefully in the face of such images has not understood the value of freedom of opinion for the democratic community. Freedom of opinion is the basis of freedom in general. These searches undermine confidence in the validity of the Basic Law. We will ensure that the next Bundestag prevents such authoritarian excesses.”
However, the house raids may also result in diplomatic fallout between the U.S. and Germany.
“Insulting someone is not a crime, and criminalizing speech is going to put a real strain on European-US relationships. This is Orwellian, and everyone in Europe and the US must reject this lunacy,” wrote Vice President JD Vance.
Musk has also issued more than one tweet in the wake of the CBS special.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 17, 2025
He also reposted other segments of the 60 Minutes special, including a post from John LeFevre, where he wrote: “Calling a rapist is more offensive than being a rapist in Germany. And 60 Minutes is ok with this…”
The video also features German prosecutors who have a laugh over the house searches conducted in Germany, with one German X user, Marc A. Wilms, writing: “This shows how quickly we have landed in Orwellian conditions. By the way, these gentlemen are having a lot of fun with the fact that people are shocked when their mobile phones are taken away during a house search. ‘Even if they are not punished further, just taking it away is punishment in itself! Hehe!’ From a program that aired on US TV.”
One of the main points is whether an “insult” is a crime. German prosecutors tell CBS that “insulting” someone or a politician is a crime, and even reposting an insult is a crime.
Notably, hundreds of people have had their houses — if not thousands — have had their homes searched and their electronic devices seized, as well as faced prosecutions, for “insulting” politicians. Among the insults included calling Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock the “worst foreign minister.” In another case, a man had his home raided when he called Economics Minister Robert Habeck an “idiot.”
— Naomi Seibt (@SeibtNaomi) February 17, 2025
HATE SPEECH PROSECUTORS STASI
They are determined to investigate every post, every reply, every REPOST even, and they will HUNT YOU DOWN!
60 minutes interviews Hate Speech prosecutors – it sounds like they were inspired by the socialist Stasi…pic.twitter.com/0mfKD9vLv3
However, the idea of an insult is no longer a prosecutable offense when those insults are directed at the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
Just a few months ago, for instance, Cologne’s court found that extremist threats against the AfD constituted “freedom of expression.”
“Break down their doors and gates, slap them in the face. Vomit in their faces. I don’t give a sh*t,” said public figure Peter Fischer to RTL. Despite calling for violence against a party and its supporters, the court claimed the violent statements from Fischer, the former president of the Eintracht Frankfurt football club, are protected speech.
AfD supporters in Germany should be attacked and people should "vomit in their faces."
"Break down their doors and gates, slap them in the face. Vomit in their faces. I don’t give a sh*t," said public figure Peter Fischer to RTL.
Despite calling for violence against a… pic.twitter.com/ersYM5AcSO
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 28, 2024“The statements made by the accused are […] considered to be fully covered by the right to freedom of expression under Article 5 of the Basic Law. There is therefore no initial suspicion of public incitement to commit crimes or of incitement to hatred or insult, etc.,” said Cologne public prosecutor Ulrich Bremer.
JUST IN: Police raided a German pensioner's house and arrested him after he retweeted a meme of Green Economy Minister Robert Habeck, which described Habeck as an “idiot,”
The meme has been recorded as a “politically motivated right-wing crime.”
On Tuesday, police officers… pic.twitter.com/BGQLSQVBd8
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) November 14, 2024
