Insulted Markus Söder: publicist sentenced to a fine

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Deggendorf District Court
“Södolf”: Austrian journalist sentenced to fine for insulting Söder

The Deggendorf district court in Bavaria finds that the publicist Gerald Grosz seriously insulted the politicians Markus Söder and Karl Lauterbach

© Armin Weigel

Will politicians have to restrain themselves in future speeches on Ash Wednesday? The Austrian ex-politician Grosz defends his verbal attacks as satire. The court still convicts him.

The Austrian journalist and former right-wing politician Gerald Grosz has been sentenced to a fine after insulting German politicians. The district court in Deggendorf, Bavaria, sentenced the defendant to a fine of 14,850 euros in two separate cases on Monday, a court spokesman said. Among other things, Grosz is said to have described Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) as a “corona autocrat” and “Södolf”.

Insulting statements against Markus Söder at an AfD event

made the statements According to the indictment, Grosz was a guest speaker in 2023 during a speech on the AfD’s political Ash Wednesday in Osterhofen, Bavaria. There he is said to have called Söder a “traitor”. He also insulted Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) as a “horror clown”.

The Deggendorf district court initially issued a criminal order against Grosz for insults last September. He should therefore pay a fine of 36,000 euros. Grosz defended himself against this in the district court. His statements against Söder should be understood as satire, he said on his YouTube channel before the trial. He has already announced there that he will appeal if he is convicted.

Grosz has held various positions in the right-wing populist parties FPÖ and BZÖ in the past. Today he says he is a columnist and author.

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AFP
DPA

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