AfD politician convicted for warning about gang rape ━ The European Conservative

The Verden regional court in Lower Saxony has confirmed a verdict against Rotenburg’s AfD leader Marie-Thérèse Kaiser for incitement to hatred. The 27-year-old was also found guilty of incitement against Afghan local staff during the appeal hearing on Monday.

For this, the politician now has to pay 100 daily fines (a type of fine based on the convicted person’s daily income) plus a fine of 60 euros, for a total of 6,000 euros. In Germany, you are considered to have a criminal record if you are sentenced to a fine of more than 90 days.

The accusation was based on a post Kaiser shared on her social media accounts in August 2021. In it she wrote: “Afghanistan refugees; Hamburg SPD mayor for “unbureaucratic” acceptance; Welcoming culture for gang rape?”

Among other things, the politician linked to an article that shows that Afghans in Germany are particularly heavily involved in gang rape.

The ruling has now caught the attention of X-CEO Elon Musk. He retweeted a post summarizing the punishment, writing: “Are you saying the punishment was given for repeating correct government statistics? Was there anything wrong with what she said?”

Gang rape warning

The reason for Kaiser’s post from 2021 were statements by Hamburg’s First Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD), who announced that he would take in 200 Afghan local workers in Hamburg. The AfD politician justified her concerns about uncontrolled immigration with statistics and warned of rape by “culturally alien masses”.

Before the district court hearing, Kaiser said: “The mere mention of numbers, data and facts is punishable because the establishment denies reality.” I will not be silenced.”

AfD politician: “Trust in the constitutional state” shaken

Judge Heiko Halbfas saw it differently on Monday: “Anyone who attacks human dignity cannot invoke freedom of expression.” Kaiser deliberately created an image in the minds of others that led to hatred of a nationally specific group, the district newspaper reported.

After the verdict, Kaiser announced her intention to appeal and expressed her dismay at the verdict: She recounted Young freedom:

The whole world is astonished by this decision by the German courts. After even Elon Musk took up my case, I received numerous supportive messages and press inquiries. The demand for an opportunity to donate is also becoming louder and louder.

She described this as “overwhelming.”

Kaiser added: “My trust in the German constitutional state was severely shaken again yesterday, but all the letters give me courage and confidence.”

This article was originally published on May 7, 2024 by Young freedom. It has been translated into English and appears here with permission.