Germany’s Constitutional Court becomes political football – The Bundestag was supposed to elect three new judges to Germany’s highest court. But the vote was canceled due to a dispute over one of the candidates. It is unclear what will happen next.
A few hours before the planned vote, the CDU demanded that the SPD withdraw Brosius-Gersdorf’s nomination, citing new allegations that she might have plagiarized her PhD dissertation in 1997, which left-wing politicians see as spurious…
That means jail for life. Which actually means only fifteen (15) years in Germany.
German court sentences Syrian doctor to life in jail for crimes against humanity – Alaa Mousa accused of torturing detainees at military hospitals during Syrian civil war under former ruler Bashar al-Assad…
Mousa has lived in Germany for 10 years. He worked in various clinics over five years as an orthopaedic medic, most recently at a hospital in Bad Wildungen in the state of Hessen, in western Germany, until his arrest in summer 2020. He was recognised and reported to the authorities after some of his victims saw him in a TV documentary about the Syrian city of Homs and was placed in custody. The court case against him at Frankfurt’s higher regional court started in January 2022 and took place over nearly 190 days.
German court due to rule on ‘from the river to the sea’ case in test of free speech – Defendant is accused of ‘condoning the assault by Hamas’ by using slogan during protest…
A spokesperson for the court, Lisa Jani, confirmed that while there had been about five cases in Berlin involving “rioting” and “incitement” at pro-Palestinian protests, this was probably the first revolving specifically around the use of the politically charged phrase.
Even if the defendant is found guilty on Tuesday, it would be only the beginning of a long legal odyssey of appeals through higher tribunals. “The ruling … would not be binding – we’re the lowest court,” Jani said.
Boy oh boy. that was one close call for German democracy itself.
Or something. Yawn. This “coup” is so embarrassing it’s cute. A cute coup. It’s kind of like US-Amerika‘s January 6, only dopier. If you can imagine that.
Germany coup plot trial begins amid high security – Self-styled Prince Heinrich XIII among alleged ringleaders of plan for violent overthrow of state…
A total of 26 people are on trial – a 27th, a man in his 70s, died recently in hospital in Frankfurt – and the three cases are expected to go on for a year or more. Gundula Fehns-Böer, a spokesperson for Frankfurt’s regional court, said: “It’s a challenge for us all, but we’ll sit here for as long as we have to sit.”
The alleged plotters were arrested in December 2022, when heavily armed forces stormed houses, flats, offices and a remote hunting lodge. Investigators had surveilled the group in the previous few months. Among the arrests made were a leading member of the QAnon conspiracy theory organisation, a clairvoyant, a dentist and an amateur pilot.
He didn’t “intentionally use a banned Nazi slogan.”
If you watched the clip, and were fair in your judgement, you would agree. If you want to say the words “everything for Germany” is a Nazi slogan you can, of course (they used it), but something tells me uttering these words didn’t originate with them, nor are they the exclusive property of Adolf Hitler & Co.
You don’t have to like this guy or his politics or his political party to see that “the system” is out to get him (and them). The court system has been weaponized here, in other words. Boy oh boy it sure is good to know that that type of thing could never happen in US-Amerika, right?
German far-right leader intentionally used banned Nazi slogan, court rules – Alternative for Germany politician Björn Höcke was fined for uttering a phrase employed by Hitler’s storm troopers.
A leading politician for the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) has been convicted by a German court of using a banned Nazi slogan — a decision that is unlikely to dissuade the party’s core supporters in its eastern strongholds.
Björn Höcke, who heads the AfD in the eastern German state of Thuringia, was fined €13,000 for closing a 2021 campaign speech with the phrase: “Everything for Germany!”
Don’t listen to what the electorate actually wants (an end to the migrant madness), the thing that forced them into the arms of the AfD in the first place.
Just label them “undemocratic” (the votes the AfD gets apparently aren’t as democratic as those of the established parties) and then bump them off.
Germany: Court says far-right AfD is suspected of extremism – The move, which upholds a lower-court ruling the party had challenged, means intelligence services can continue to monitor AfD activities and communications…
For years discussions about a ban have surfaced regularly. Critics of the idea say that would simply play into the AfD’s hands by boosting its narrative of victimisation.
Legally it would also be difficult, time-consuming and possibly be rejected by the constitutional court.
But with each new scandal involving the AfD, calls grow louder from all mainstream parties to investigate whether there are at least sufficient grounds to try.
Is what this guy deserves. But “life in prison” doesn’t mean “life in prison” in Germany.
It means fifteen (15) years.
A US man is sentenced to life in prison for murder and rape in attack on 2 American women in Germany – An American man was convicted of murder and other charges on Monday for brutally attacking two American women near Germany’s famed Neuschwanstein castle last summer and pushing them into a ravine, fatally injuring one of them. He was sentenced to life in prison…
Presiding judge Christoph Schwiebacher determined that the defendant bears particularly severe guilt, meaning that he LIKELY won’t be eligible for release after 15 years as is usually the case in Germany… “a release after 15 years would not be justifiable” but he’ll get released anyway.
Because, well, it will be against the law. After twisting the law on it’s head. Because, well, we live in the Age of No Consequences.
Germany seeks Cologne Cathedral attack suspect’s deportation – Authorities are seeking to expel the 25-year-old arrested on suspicion of planning a New Year’s Eve attack on the historic cathedral. The Tajik national was arrested along with three others, but they were later released.
My back is starting to hurt from all the patting I’ve been giving it.
We’ll just get around that old debt brake six months from now by declaring another “unforseen emergency” for more debt our high court can’t stop us from making. We’ve even announced what that unforeseen emergency will most likely be: Ukraine.
Germany clinches last-minute 2024 budget deal, keeps debt brake – Germany’s government clinched a last-minute deal on its 2024 budget on Wednesday that will see Berlin return to its self-imposed limits on new debt despite warnings this could hamper growth in Europe’s top economy and its green transition.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition was faced with either suspending what is known as the debt brake or finding some 17 billion euros ($18.3 billion) in savings and tax hikes after a Nov. 15 constitutional court ruling threw its plans into disarray…
Others said the deal simply delayed a necessary decision on how to fund investments in an economy that has already suffered years of chronic underinvestment. Last month’s court ruling has made clear the government will not be able to resort as easily to off-budget funds going forwards.
That face you make when you can’t spend as much of other people’s money as you’d planned.
German court deals 60 billion euro budget blow to Scholz government – The German government froze major spending pledges focused on green initiatives and industry support on Wednesday after a constitutional court ruling on unused pandemic emergency funds blew a 60 billion euro ($65 billion) hole in its finances.
The decision threw into disarray budget negotiations taking place this week within Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-way ruling coalition, whose popularity has slumped as Europe’s biggest economy teeters close to another recession.
Observing Hermann 