Exclusive
Status: 07/27/2021 3:59 p.m.
For more than a year, the former Green politician Volker Beck has been the target of homophobic and anti-Semitic insults by the conspiracy ideologist Attila Hildmann. Now Beck scored a success against Hildmann in court for the first time.
Former Green politician Volker Beck can hardly count any insults and hate attacks against him. The conspiracy ideologist and prominent cookbook author Attila Hildmann has it in particular for him. He repeatedly rushed against Beck because of his commitment to the LGBTQI movement and his commitment to Israel and the Jewish community in Germany.
On the messenger service Telegram, in which Hildmann occasionally followed more than 100,000 followers, he publicly insulted Beck – using the term “Jewish fagot” – and threatened him. At Beck’s request, it has now been issued according to information from the ARD political magazine Contrasts the Berlin Regional Court issued an injunction against Hildmann. If he repeats the insult, he will in any case face a fine of 250,000 euros or, alternatively, a six-month detention.
Beck, the one against Hildmann also acts criminally, commented on the decision with relief: “At least he can no longer afford his slander and insults against me in Germany. The court has now put a stop to that,” said Beck, who was the long-time spokesman for the lesbian and gay band (LSVD).
Hildmann went underground in Turkey
Hildmann, who has both German and Turkish citizenship, has been hiding in Turkey for months. At the end of March, the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office announced that they could not execute an arrest warrant against Hildmann, among other things, for sedition because he was in Turkey.
In this context, Beck criticizes the late intervention of the criminal investigation authorities. Public prosecutors and police in Brandenburg and Berlin hesitated for a long time “until the cowardly wannabe samurai sought refuge under Erdogan’s apron,” Beck told Contrasts. If he repeats his agitation, it will be financially tight thanks to the threatened fine of 250,000 euros if he ever steps on German soil again: “Then financially, he won’t get his feet back on his feet anytime soon.”
Beck’s lawsuit was funded by the nonprofit HateAid. Josephine Ballon, Head of Legal at HateAid, welcomed the court order. The preliminary injunction makes it clear that it is worthwhile for those affected to defend themselves against such statements: “The decision strengthens those affected throughout Germany and shows that the judiciary does not capitulate when messenger services such as Telegram are systematically abused for criminal and inflammatory statements,” so Balloon. HateAid is a non-profit organization and advice center for those affected by digital violence and litigation cost financiers.