The German judicial system is cracking down not only on insulting politicians and using prohibited symbols—even internet emoticons can get you in trouble, reflecting an increasingly restrictive climate for freedom of expression in the country.
Apollo News reports that a 64-year-old German woman who used three “thumbs-up” emoticons to comment on a post about a Swedish girl who killed the migrant who had raped her is now being fined for “publicly approving of an intentional killing by way of unjustified vigilantism” and (the prosecutor’s order interprets) being “particularly pleased that this vigilantism was perpetrated against a migrant.”
The original poster had commented “Does he now have 77 virgins?” and the Kassel public prosecutor’s office interpreted the 64-year-old woman’s three-thumbs-up emoticon comment as an endorsement of the crime, slapping her with a fine totaling €1,800.
The accused woman can appeal the order, which would then mean the case would go to trial.
