“Are you saying the penalty was imposed for repeating accurate government statistics?” Elon Musk asks.
The Verden regional court in Lower Saxony has upheld a verdict against Rotenburg AfD leader Marie-Thérèse Kaiser for incitement to hatred. The 27-year-old was also found guilty in the appeal hearing on Monday of inciting hatred against Afghan local workers.
For this, the politician now has to pay 100 day fines (a type of fine related to daily income of the convicted) plus a fine of €60, a total of €6,000. In Germany, you are considered to have a criminal record if you are sentenced to pay more than 90 day fines.
The charge was based on a post that Kaiser had spread on her social media accounts in August 2021. In it, she wrote: “Afghanistan refugees; Hamburg SPD mayor for ‘unbureaucratic’ acceptance; Welcoming culture for gang rape?”
Among other things, the politician linked to an article showing that Afghans in Germany are particularly heavily involved in gang rape.
The verdict has now also caught the attention of X CEO Elon Musk. He retweeted a post summarizing the punishment and wrote: “Are you saying the penalty was imposed for repeating accurate government statistics? Was there anything wrong with what she said?”
Are you saying the fine was for repeating accurate government statistics?
Was there anything inaccurate in what she said? https://t.co/itSzTx1Ybv
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 6, 2024
Gang rape warning
The reason for Kaiser’s post from 2021 was statements made by Hamburg’s First Mayor, Peter Tschentscher (SPD), who announced that he would take in 200 Afghan local workers in Hamburg. The AfD politician justified her concern about uncontrolled immigration with statistics and warned of rapes by “culturally alien masses.”
Before the district court hearing, Kaiser said: “The mere mention of numbers, data, and facts is to be declared a criminal offense simply because the establishment refuses to accept reality. I won’t let myself be silenced.”
AfD politician: “Trust in the rule of law” shaken
Judge Heiko Halbfas saw things differently on Monday: “Those who attack human dignity cannot invoke freedom of speech.” Kaiser deliberately created an image in the minds of others that led to hatred of a nationally determined group, the district newspaper reported.
After the verdict, Kaiser announced her intention to appeal and expressed dismay over the verdict: She told Junge Freiheit:
The whole world is astonished by this decision by the German courts. After even Elon Musk picked up on my case, I have received numerous messages of support and press inquiries. The demand for a way to donate is also becoming louder and louder.
She described this as “overwhelming.”
Kaiser added: “My trust in the German rule of law was once again severely shaken yesterday, but all the letters give me courage and confidence.”
