8 December 2025
The report said Merz lodged hundreds of insult complaints, leading to searches of two homes
Chancellor Friedrich Merz filed hundreds of criminal complaints for insults during his tenure as leader of the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag,According to a media report,
In two cases, police then searched the homes of the suspected authors. sunday world The newspaper reported citing documents such as letters from lawyers and investigation files.
Insults being thrown around on social media include terms like “a**hole,” “filthy drunk,” and “little Nazi.” According to the report, the latter two manifestations led to a search of the house, although a court later ruled the search illegal in the case of “dirty drunkenness”.
The period in question was before Merz became Chancellor, at which time he ceased to be leader of the parliamentary group.
In Germany, insulting a person can be considered a criminal offense under the Criminal Code, allowing authorities to investigate if the alleged victim files a complaint.
Merz’s parliamentary office confirmed the “large-scale” incidents, the report continued. According to the newspaper, the current chancellor donated the compensation and fine “in full to charitable causes in the Hochsauerland district, where Merz’s constituency is located.”
Almost a year earlier, a home search following a criminal complaint by then-Economy Minister Robert Habach of the Green Party sparked a public debate about proportionality.
That case involved an insult using the word “stupid”. The author was later sentenced to a fine, although not for the insult, but for a separate post with a Nazi reference. The incident was particularly raised in right-wing circles and led to allegations of alleged state censorship.