05/24/2023 14:44 (act. 05/24/2023 19:05)
German doctor and author Sucharit Bhakdi was acquitted of hate speech charges.
Physician and author Sucharit Bhakdi was acquitted of double incitement to hatred charges before the district court of Plön, Schleswig-Holstein. The court was unable to determine that the 76-year-old became punishable by statements during the 2021 election campaign and an internet interview, Judge Malte Grundmann said in the verdict on Tuesday. While the comparison between vaccination policy and the Holocaust is unacceptable, Bhakdi’s statements are unlikely to disturb public peace.
sedition allegations
The Attorney General’s Office accused the retired professor of microbiology in two cases of hate speech. According to the indictment, Bhakdi incited hatred against Jews living in Germany in connection with fierce criticism of Israel’s vaccination policy and maliciously disparaged them as a religious group. With a drastic and aggressive choice of words about the vaccination policy as the second Holocaust, he knowingly accepted a climate of fear among German Jews, said Silke Füssinger, senior public prosecutor and anti-Semitism commissioner for the state of Schleswig-Holstein. She demanded a daily fine of 180 euros of 90 euros each.
The defense rejected the accusations and accused the Public Ministry of having politicized the process. The trial took place although the Kiel Public Prosecutor’s Office rejected Bhakdi’s charge and dropped the trial. The attorney general then took over the case.
According to the defense, the Attorney General’s Office did not investigate in depth and did not consider anything exculpatory for the accused, who had no criminal record. The accusations against Bhakdi are unfounded.
Corona pandemic books
According to scientists, Bhakdi has repeatedly spread disinformation in his best-selling books on the corona pandemic, in interviews and in speeches. The universities of Mainz and Kiel, where he worked, distanced themselves from Bhakdi’s statements.
What Bhakdi Says After Absolution
Bhakdi himself said after the acquittal: “I feel great gratitude to the German judiciary and the court in Plön.” That also goes for his supporters and “the thousands of people who have stood by me in recent years. One 67-year-old fan said: “There is still justice. I didn’t expect that.”
But the case is not over yet. The chief prosecutor announced an appeal.
300 followers of Bhakdi in front of the court
Early in the morning, more than 300 Bhakdi followers from across Germany gathered outside the courthouse in the district capital. But there was only room for almost two dozen journalists and 21 spectators. The police mobilized around 50 officers and the judiciary also increased its staff. Those who couldn’t get in were literally left out in the rain. However, many persevered until the acquitted Bhakdi showed himself to them. Several hundred supporters of the tough critic of Corona’s policy once again loudly applauded the teacher.
Weird courtroom scene
An unusual scene took place in the courtroom before the start of the hearing. A woman dressed in white knelt down in front of the defendant. The avowed Buddhist Bhakdi clasped his hands in front of his chest, smiled and chatted with the woman.
“The court legitimizes pure anti-Semitism here”
The Central Council of Jews in Germany has criticized the acquittal of doctor and writer Sucharit Bhakdi on charges of incitement to hatred. Central Council President Josef Schuster called the verdict outrageous on Wednesday. “The court legitimizes pure anti-Semitism here.”
“Scandalous”
In interpreting the term “Jewish people” as an alleged criticism of the Israeli government, the court followed the narrative that held every Jew everywhere responsible for the activities of the State of Israel. To hear such an attitude from a German court as a basis for argument “is nothing short of scandalous”, Schuster lamented. He also criticized the fact that the court saw no doubt Bhakdi’s downplaying of the Holocaust, but gave priority to freedom of expression in an election campaign speech. “Once again I feel compelled to point out that anti-Semitism is not an opinion,” Schuster emphasized.
Coronavirus pandemic: news about Covid-19