Media: German chancellor filed hundreds of criminal complaints over online insults

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has filed hundreds of criminal complaints since 2021 in response to online insults directed at him, according to documents reviewed by Welt.

The materials include notices on the initiation of criminal proceedings, investigation files, and correspondence from lawyers. Many of the complaints relate to offenses committed while Merz was still serving as leader of the opposition. Insults cited in the documents include phrases such as “little Nazi,” “fool,” and “dirty drunkard.”

Merz employed the services of “So Done,” an agency that monitors negative online content and initiates legal action on behalf of clients, receiving half of the fines imposed in resulting cases.

The chancellor’s office stated that all compensation and fines collected were donated to social initiatives in the Hochsauerland district, Merz’s home region.

Some police searches conducted in connection with defamation investigations were later ruled unlawful by the courts, according to the report.

By Sabina Mammadli