For years, a young man helped to keep the work going – in the state security departments of the Munich police and public prosecutor’s office. The 24-year-old has been in custody since December, and since Thursday the right-wing extremist has had to answer to the district court for another criminal offense: On August 23, he is said to have rioted during a press conference held by the Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek on Marienplatz, threatened those present, insulted a police officer and hit a reporter from Bavarian Radio. In the anti-vaccination scene, he was celebrated for it.
According to the indictment, the right-wing extremist, who is known to the police, initially loudly insulted journalists and members of the Ministry of Health as “traitors of the people” and “vaccination terrorists”. After being sent off by the police, he is said to have returned shortly thereafter and hit a BR reporter. Two security guards managed to temporarily push the attacker away. He came back a little later and hit the BR journalist in the face with a punch.
He is said to have screamed: “I’ll kill you all.” An eyewitness testified in court that he had the impression that the right-wing extremist’s attack was initially aimed at the health minister himself, who he was approaching. Even after the man was taken into police custody, he didn’t stop. According to the public prosecutor’s office, he insulted police officers as “a disgrace to the German people” and “fags”.
In 2018, the man from Munich first caused a stir when he – then a member of the Junge Union – demanded the use of firearms against “asylum tourists” on Twitter. Two years later, the man is said to have posted a hate tirade against Angela Merkel on Facebook. Since then he has appeared publicly with neo-Nazis and leading AfD politicians.
In the meantime, the Munich criminal police have investigated numerous cases against the young man: for resisting law enforcement officers, inciting hatred and for using forbidden license plates. Once he is said to have been picked up armed with scissors at a demonstration by corona deniers.
In February, the 24-year-old was sentenced to almost two years in prison for twelve crimes within four months. He showed according to the research portal “Right terminus” during the February court hearing and threatened the judge with death.
The BR journalist he attacked gave an impressive account of how much the attack had affected him mentally. It was only after some time and after psychological help that he was able to return to Marienplatz without fear. Addressed to him, the defendant said that he was sorry and that he “respected” the reporter’s journalistic work. During a break in the negotiations, however, the 24-year-old called out to the reporters in the room that they were “dirty journalists”. The trial will resume on August 7th.