Insults against Merz on Facebook: Fines for "Lügenftritz" and "Ftzn Frieder"
Two legally binding penal orders imposing 30 daily instalments each were issued following Facebook comments under a police notice about a Merz visit in Heilbronn.
Facebook comments about Merz visit lead to dozens of criminal proceedings
The Heilbronn public prosecutor's office has conducted a total of 39 proceedings over insulting designations against Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU), according to welt.de. The starting point was a Facebook post by police warning of a flight ban in connection with a Merz visit to Heilbronn in October of last year.
On 19 March 2026, the district court in Öhringen issued a penal order for 30 daily instalments for the designation "Lügenfritz" (liar Fritz). This penal order has already become legally binding. Based on an average salary, this corresponds to more than 2,000 euros according to the authorities.
The proceedings concerning the term "Ftzn Frieder" have also been concluded with legal effect. The district court in Brackenheim imposed a penal order on 13 February 2026, again for 30 daily instalments.
The proceedings concerning the designation "Fo.......Fritz" have not yet been concluded. Although the Heilbronn district court also issued a penal order for 30 daily instalments in this case, the accused lodged an objection. The court must now decide in a main hearing.
In the case of the term "Lackaffe" (slob ape), the proceedings took a different course: Following an initially imposed penal order for 30 daily instalments and the defendant's subsequent objection, the proceedings were provisionally discontinued in exchange for a monetary condition of 100 euros. According to the "Tagesspiegel", proceedings concerning the designations "Pinocchio" and "Lügen-Kasper" (Liar-Casper) were also discontinued.
Of the 39 proceedings altogether, the public prosecutor's office discontinued 15 for lack of sufficient suspicion. The remainder were either transferred to other public prosecutor's offices or are still pending.
The legal basis for prosecution is paragraph 188 of the German Criminal Code, which penalises insult, slander and defamation against persons in political life. According to the "Tagesspiegel", the public prosecutor's office justified its action on the grounds that the statements were suitable for "shaking trust in the integrity of the victim", because they were capable of "fuelling further negative prejudices or aggression among like-minded individuals".
The paragraph is controversial in legal debate, as critics assess that it may have an intimidating effect on political discussion. According to the "Tagesspiegel", the Federal Chancellery did not become involved. The public prosecutor's office was unable to provide information on the identity of those convicted.
Source: Google News LU DE