In March and May 2024, a pensioner from the Traunstein district included the phrase “Alles für Deutschland” (‘Everything for Germany’) in two comments on X.
He was reported to the REspect! reporting center for this ‘crime’ and the Traunstein Dictrict Court sentenced him in November 2024 for “using symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations” under Section 86a of the German criminal code. The court imposed a fine on the 73-year-old, who did not pay it citing his poor financial situation.
As a result, the elderly man will soon be sent to prison. On Tuesday, he received a summons from the Traunstein public prosecutor’s office to begin serving a 75-day prison sentence by June 5th.
It is noteworthy that in a recent interview with Euractiv, EU Tech Commissioner Henna Virkkunen made the point that the U.S. limits free speech to a larger extent than the EU. Virkkunen cited data that she said shows U.S. platforms are responsible for the bulk of content removals.
Well, perhaps so. But the EU certainly leads the way when it comes to jailing people for the opinion.
