Moritz Oppelt, the CDU justice minister of Baden-Württemberg, argued that the law should protect local politicians who often face severe criticism.
“Top politicians must endure tough criticism,” he stated. “In our democracy, it is essential to freely discuss and harshly criticize political decisions at both federal and state levels. Insults in politics shouldn’t be normalized, but there are limits.”
This perspective is shared across Germany’s political spectrum. The Left Party and AfD want the law removed, while the CDU, Greens, and SPD favor revising it.
“Politicians like Friedrich Merz insult ordinary people by labeling them lazy,” said Left lawmaker Luke Hoss, critiquing the chancellor’s call for Germans to work more. “This law creates a special offense for politicians and should be abolished.”
AfD lawmaker Tobias Peterka added that criticism is part of the job. “Politicians must tolerate harsher criticism than private citizens,” he argued.
The law, Section 188 of the criminal code, has protected politicians since 1951. Angela Merkel’s government strengthened it in 2021 to combat right-wing extremism and hate speech.
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