A German journalist has been sentenced to prison for posting a message that mocked his country’s government.
Breitbart News reports that the journalist, David Bendels, an editor for Deutschland-Kurier, is now going to be sitting in prison for the next seven months.
This would appear to validate a notable speech that Vice President J.D. Vance delivered earlier this year, warning that many European governments are heading in a dangerous, anti-democratic direction.
The incident with Bendels is now being used in America as a reminder not to take for granted the citizenry’s First Amendment free speech rights.
What happened?
Towards the end of 2024, German authorities arrested Bendels for posting a meme.
According to Breitbart, Bendels was specifically arrested for “posting an image on social media of Interior Minister Nancy Faeser holding an altered sign. The common meme tactic of changing the words on signs held by politicians for satirical purposes was used to make Faeser’s sign read: ‘I hate freedom of speech.'”
It has been alleged that Interior Minister Faeser is the one who filed the complaint against Bendels.
It is also being alleged that this is the first time ever in the history of Germany that the government has put a journalist in prison for violating the statute that was allegedly breached by Bendels.
Bendels was subsequently convicted of “defamation directed against people in political life.” This conviction was just recently upheld, and now, he has been sentenced.
Seven years
Just this week, a court sentenced Bendels to seven months of imprisonment. But that’s not all.
Breitbart News reports:
The Bamberg district court in Bavaria sentenced Deutschland-Kurier editor David Bendels this week to seven months in prison on probation and a fine of nearly sixty per cent of his annual income, or 210 ‘daily rates’ . . .
Bendels has not given up his fight just yet. Following the sentencing, he publicly stated that he intends on appealing the ruling. He said:
We will not accept this verdict and will defend ourselves against it using all legal means. The Deutschland-Kurier and I personally will continue the just struggle for freedom of the press and freedom of expression, which is indispensable for the continued existence of democracy in Germany, resolutely, stably and with all consistency.
The ruling is receiving pushback from many in Germany, but there are still those, particularly on the political left, who are supporting it.
This all comes about two months after Vance’s speech, in which he said, “In Britain and across Europe, free speech, I fear, is in retreat.” These words are ringing more and more true every day.
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Author: Oliver Winters
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