A defamation case against the leader of the Bavarian state branch of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) for insulting comments about the Bavarian state prime minister has been settled with a fine of 12,000 euros.
The AfD’s Stephan Protschka mocked Bavarian State Prime Minister Markus Söder as “Södolf” – an apparent reference to Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler – and called him a “traitor to the country” during a political event on Ash Wednesday last year.
The local prosecutor’s office had filed a case against Protschka, but on Tuesday agreed to drop the proceedings in exchange for Protschka’s agreement to pay the fine.
The dismissal also followed a statement by Protschka’s lawyer to the court, in which he stated that the AfD politician’s intention was not to insult Söder, but to make a point in a political debate.
Protschka did not want to refer to Germany’s dark Nazi era, but instead quoted terms used by a previous speaker, his lawyer alleged.
Protschka now has until the end of August to pay the fine, the judge said.
In April, the Deggendorf court had sentenced another speaker at the same event, Austrian politician Gerald Grosz, to a fine of almost €15,000 for insulting Söder.
Grosz had used the same terms as Protschka to describe Söder, the leader of the Bavarian center-right Christian Social Union (CSU).
Grosz argued in court that his statements were satire, and he has appealed the verdict. A court spokesperson said the verdict against Grosz is not yet legally binding.
