22 June 2026
Merz: Not bothered by insults but state institutions must be protected
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has insisted he is not bothered by personal insults – but he wants to adapt the law to protect state institutions and government offices from general defamation.
“If someone calls me an idiot, that’s up to them,” he said at the German government’s annual Open Day on Sunday, when government ministries open their doors to allow visitors to see behind the scenes. “My opinion differs, but that doesn’t make it a crime.”
Merz acknowledged that he had filed defamation charges in the past when he was the victim of personal insults, but insisted that he had stopped doing so and had taken no such action since becoming Chancellor.
The debate over where the line is between freedom of expression and personal insult has intensified in Germany as prosecutors brought charges against a student who held up an allegedly derogatory banner about Merz at a demonstration in Berlin. Some social media users have also received fines for comments on social media that were found to be offensive.
Merz said charges were generally brought by state prosecutors rather than politicians and said he was “surprised” by the high number of cases – but added that state institutions and positions should be protected from defamation to maintain respect for the democratic system.
“The moment state offices are brought into disrepute, the fun stops,” he said, distinguishing between the individual and the office. “We need to be able to combat this as a society because this is no longer freedom of expression; it harms our democracy.”
To that end, Merz said he is open to reforming Article 188, the German law that protects politicians from libel, defamation and libel under certain circumstances.