The Lower Saxons State Parliament has revoked AfD lawmaker Vanessa Behrendt’s immunity. The Göttingen prosecutor’s office plans to file charges against him, Behrendt told the German Press Agency.
From previous information from the prosecutor’s office Gottingen It is known that the authorities are investigating allegations of incitement to hatred and the distribution of malicious personal data.
“In my view, the investigation against me is clearly politically motivated,” Behrendt said. “To me, the charges that will be filed are nothing but a farce, an attempt to pressure me through a lengthy legal process and discredit me in public.” The AfD politician said that public prosecutors should concentrate on “very urgent” offenses such as child abuse or child pornography. He explained that there were several legal processes against him which had to be combined into one overall case.
Red-Green: Member mandates are not full authority
According to SPD lawmaker Wiard Siebels, Behrendt was accused of calling the rainbow flag a symbol of a pedophile lobby group. Firstly, this is not true and secondly, this is absolutely reprehensible. “Those who do things like that should be ashamed,” Siebels said.
Green Party lawmaker Volker Bajus said: “Parliamentary mandates are not a license to insult minority groups and slander society.” The fact that Behrendt now describes himself “as a martyr” is evidence of his “questionable understanding of the rule of law.”
The AfD does not agree to lifting immunity
That AfD does not improve immunity. Parliamentary group leader Klaus Wichmann criticized the fact that an increasing number of cases cannot be ruled out as politically motivated. His group does not want to prevent criminal prosecutions, but warns that a growing number of citizens are in danger of losing faith in the constitutional state.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251118-930-307173/1
