The German Bundesrat, the upper chamber of the German parliament, has proposed banning Germans from denigrating both the European Union flag and anthem.
The Bundesrat, which is composed of delegates from the German states, passed a bill that could see individuals who either denigrate the EU flag or the EU anthem, Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy”, punished with a fine or up to three years in prison, Die Welt reports.
German newspaper Saarbrücken Zeitung obtained a draft of the law earlier this year that urged law enforcement agencies “to take firm and effective action against those whose aim is to disparage the fundamental values of the European Union”.
The draft continued, stating that violations would also cover attacks “on the reputation of the symbols of the European Union”.
Noem thanks Trump for new Shield of the Americas special envoy role after DHS ouster
Supreme Court Will Hear Lawsuit Over Blaming Oil Companies for Climate Change
White House’s bombastic Iran war media blitz breaks from precedent, shocking critics
Farage slams British prime minister for ‘extraordinary’ lack of support for Trump’s Iran strikes
‘Smarter Than Most of You!’: Biden Launches Bizarre Defense of His Stuttering at Jesse Jackson Memorial Service
FBI captures Bangladeshi fugitive extradited in massive online child sextortion case
Shark attack deaths surge above decade average in 2025
Trump says ‘hatred’ between Putin, Zelenskyy blocking Ukraine peace deal
Trump touts US has ‘tremendous’ amount of Venezuelan oil, vows to ‘take care’ of Cuba after Iran focus
Major Hospital Stops Providing Some Trans Surgeries to Adults
Florida Democrat Insults Charlie Kirk’s Memory in Disgusting Protest of Day of Remembrance
Newsom rips Noem as ‘Kosplay Barbie’ over $220M ad campaign, demands DHS release $500M for LA wildfires
In an Unexpected SCOTUS Moment, Justice Gorsuch Educated the Court on How Much Founding Fathers Drank – It Was Apparently a Lot
Teens inspired by ‘Scream’ recorded ‘first kill’ plot before stabbing classmate to death
White Cops in Philadelphia Sue City Over Alleged Racial Discrimination
The newly passed bill must now be ratified by the Bundestag, although no date for a vote on the matter has been scheduled so far.
French Schools Forced to Fly EU Flags Beside Tricolore in Macron Reforms https://t.co/ViASDDRnCs
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) September 4, 2019
Germany has laws on the books that outlaw the denigration of foreign flags and national emblems but so far, the European Union’s flag and symbols have not been recognised under the laws.
Noem thanks Trump for new Shield of the Americas special envoy role after DHS ouster
Supreme Court Will Hear Lawsuit Over Blaming Oil Companies for Climate Change
White House’s bombastic Iran war media blitz breaks from precedent, shocking critics
Farage slams British prime minister for ‘extraordinary’ lack of support for Trump’s Iran strikes
‘Smarter Than Most of You!’: Biden Launches Bizarre Defense of His Stuttering at Jesse Jackson Memorial Service
FBI captures Bangladeshi fugitive extradited in massive online child sextortion case
Shark attack deaths surge above decade average in 2025
Trump says ‘hatred’ between Putin, Zelenskyy blocking Ukraine peace deal
Trump touts US has ‘tremendous’ amount of Venezuelan oil, vows to ‘take care’ of Cuba after Iran focus
Major Hospital Stops Providing Some Trans Surgeries to Adults
Florida Democrat Insults Charlie Kirk’s Memory in Disgusting Protest of Day of Remembrance
Newsom rips Noem as ‘Kosplay Barbie’ over $220M ad campaign, demands DHS release $500M for LA wildfires
In an Unexpected SCOTUS Moment, Justice Gorsuch Educated the Court on How Much Founding Fathers Drank – It Was Apparently a Lot
Teens inspired by ‘Scream’ recorded ‘first kill’ plot before stabbing classmate to death
White Cops in Philadelphia Sue City Over Alleged Racial Discrimination
The country also has laws against insulting foreign heads of state, a law that nearly saw the prosecution of left-wing comedian Jan Böhmermann in 2016 over an offensive poem about Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that was later banned by a German court.
While charges were initiated against Böhmermann, they were later dropped, with Chancellor Angela Merkel even admitting that she had made an “error” in viewing the poem as “deliberately insulting”.
In neighbouring France, the government has forced schools across the country to start flying the EU flag alongside the French tricolore.
The move was part of educational reforms enacted by French president Emmanuel Macron that also lowered the age of compulsory school entry from six to three years old.
Noem thanks Trump for new Shield of the Americas special envoy role after DHS ouster
Supreme Court Will Hear Lawsuit Over Blaming Oil Companies for Climate Change
White House’s bombastic Iran war media blitz breaks from precedent, shocking critics
Farage slams British prime minister for ‘extraordinary’ lack of support for Trump’s Iran strikes
‘Smarter Than Most of You!’: Biden Launches Bizarre Defense of His Stuttering at Jesse Jackson Memorial Service
FBI captures Bangladeshi fugitive extradited in massive online child sextortion case
Shark attack deaths surge above decade average in 2025
Trump says ‘hatred’ between Putin, Zelenskyy blocking Ukraine peace deal
Trump touts US has ‘tremendous’ amount of Venezuelan oil, vows to ‘take care’ of Cuba after Iran focus
Major Hospital Stops Providing Some Trans Surgeries to Adults
Florida Democrat Insults Charlie Kirk’s Memory in Disgusting Protest of Day of Remembrance
Newsom rips Noem as ‘Kosplay Barbie’ over $220M ad campaign, demands DHS release $500M for LA wildfires
In an Unexpected SCOTUS Moment, Justice Gorsuch Educated the Court on How Much Founding Fathers Drank – It Was Apparently a Lot
Teens inspired by ‘Scream’ recorded ‘first kill’ plot before stabbing classmate to death
White Cops in Philadelphia Sue City Over Alleged Racial Discrimination
‘Our Country Is France, Not the EU!‘: EU Flag Compulsory in All Classrooms https://t.co/0C0V8rxmaW
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 14, 2019
Story cited here.
