What do German politicians have to endure?

Germany has been debating whether Robert Habeck was right or too sensitive since the apartment of a pensioner who insulted the German Economy Minister was raided. Decades ago, things were much more difficult.

Hansjörg Friedrich Müller, Berlin/ch media

About two weeks ago, 64-year-old Stefan Niehoff from Bugpreppach in Franconia must have been surprised when police showed up at his front door early in the morning. Officials justified their search warrants on pensioners by slandering German Economy Minister Robert Habeck. Niehoff posted a montage of photos on the Internet showing a modified logo for shampoo maker Schwarzkopf. Habaek's profile is clearly visible, with the word “imbecile” written underneath.

The ensuing outburst of outrage was particularly widespread on social networks. She hit Habeck, not Niehof: the retired Bundeswehr member, who was said to be caring for his disabled daughter, was now the victim of a minister who had lost all measures in his search for contentment.

Karl Lauterbach is tougher

Some critics of the Green party politician were quicker to comment than they thought: Of course, it was not Habeck who searched the pensioner's apartment, but the Bamberg prosecutor's office. They also said the search had been requested before Habaek filed a criminal complaint; the pensioner had also gained prominence through other posts.

Still, Habek's willingness to report is remarkable: Since taking office three years ago, the minister is said to have filed some 800 criminal charges for insults. His party colleague, Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock, was equally keen on reporting. She feels she has been verbally assaulted more than 500 times, which in her opinion warrants calling the police and prosecutors.

Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock was also keen to report.Image: trapezoid

However, for most other ministers in Scholz's government, the number of complaints remains in the low double digits. Some, including Social Democratic Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, never filed criminal charges. This is surprising because no minister has been as humiliated, humiliated and threatened in recent years as Lauterbach, whose Covid policies have made him one of the most hated politicians in the country.

The fact that the Greens are particularly keen to complain may have something to do with the party's idealistic attitude: they may believe that if they are allowed to serve as role models for long enough, they can completely remove the insult. Of course, this remains a pious wish. The Greens' willingness to complain doesn't make them any more sympathetic, as the academically educated middle class is taking action against the precariat who often struggle to express themselves in public. This gives the impression of a top-down class struggle.

Behind the enthusiasm for advertising may also lie the notion that society is in the process of becoming cruel. Insults and bullying happen, but in the past this has happened in the protected space of a family or a regular dinner table. Today, when anyone can go live on X, Tiktok, or Facebook, abuse is visible to the world.

This has left some people with the impression that things have never been worse than they are today. Decades ago, the situation in German politics was much worse: “Mr. President, with all due respect, you are a bastard!” Bundestag Speaker Richard Stücklen, a member of the party of Habeck and Berbock Internal colleagues. , 1985. Some of the insults Helmut Kohl had to hear back in the day might be classified as “fat shaming” today.

Insults used to be part of the show

In 1949, before the first federal election in history, CDU Economics Minister Ludwig Erhard insulted SPD leader Kurt Schumacher as a “pathological idiot”. Some thirty years later, Social Democratic leader Willy Brandt called CDU Secretary General Heiner Geissler “the worst demagogue since Goebbels.”

These are just some rather randomly chosen examples of the harsh words people used to speak to each other during the Federal Republic of Bonn. That's why no complaints were made; insults were considered part of the show. Sometimes, after exchanging insults in the plenary chamber, people would go to the Bundestag refectory and have a glass of beer or Rhine wine together.

Therefore, one should not idealize the past: a democratic politician insulted left-wing writers and intellectuals as “rats and flies”, as the Christian socialist Franz Joseph Strauss did in 1978 That, thankfully, would be unimaginable today. However, Helmut Schmidt's statement remains true: “Politics is a martial art.” “Imbecile” is a relatively easy word to grab by the jaw.

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