Thursday, July 24
German meme-creator El Hotzo acquitted of criminal charges
The trial did not revolve around whether the joke was funny, but whether it was a joke at all. If the Tiergarten District Court ruled that the statement could be read as satire, then Sebastian Hotz, known as El Hotzo, would walk free. If, instead, it was deemed a statement condoning criminal offences — in this case, the assassination of then US presidential candidate Donald Trump — then he would be convicted of disturbing the public peace and face a fine of up to €6,000.
So, what was the joke?
Around one year ago, in July 2024, El Hotzo posted a meme to X shortly after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. The post compared the US presidential candidate to the last bus home, with a caption that read “leider knapp verpasst” – or, “sadly just missed.” He followed this with another post stating that he found it “absolutely fantastic when fascists die.”
Hotz deleted both posts shortly afterwards, but they were enough to spark a wide-ranging outcry. Politicians reported him to the public prosecutor’s office, the broadcaster RBB ended its collaboration with the satirist, and even X owner Elon Musk tweeted at then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to express his outrage. Around 50 people filed charges against him.
Before the verdict, Hotz was permitted to read a statement to the court – and it was quite funny. “Germany is known around the world for two things,” he said. “Very bad humour and lots of bad fascists.” He added that he had made it his mission to fight against both. He admitted that not all of his jokes hit the mark, but added: “If bad jokes were against the law, the German legal system would be completely overwhelmed.”
The judge clearly found his arguments convincing, as El Hotzo was acquitted of all charges.
