International News Opinons Politics

German Federal Council Passes Bill Giving Three Years in Prison for Denigrating EU Flag

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”.


15-year-old accused of firing into crowd during deadly Seattle mass shooting claims self-defense
Maine’s high court gives father final say over daughter’s church attendance
FAA seeks permanent airspace restrictions near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as expert warns rules are ‘not good enough’
Watch: Black Entrepreneur Humiliates Jemele Hill on CNN After She Claims Capitalism and White Supremacy Are Connected
The primary is over; now come the primetime mistakes
Trump Clarifies Stakes of Texas Senate Battle: If Talarico Wins, ‘I Will Be the Last Republican President’
Breaking: Mass Shooting in Downtown Minneapolis, Civilian Killed, Officers Shot
NFL Fans Stunned to Learn of Subtle Field-Goal Trick the Patriots Used Against Opponents in the Belichick Era
‘A little pissed’: Jeffries ally turns his back to centrist who voted to condemn DSA
Putin swears there won’t be mass mobilization, accuses Ukraine of ‘state terrorism’
Grandmother, Fiancé Turned Semi-Truck into Rolling Dungeon, Imprisoned 4 Children for 6 Nightmarish Years: Cops
Trump says Iranians won’t rise up because ‘they’re being shot’ and refuses to say if CIA would aid protesters
Sheriff suing Maryland says sanctuary laws ignore lessons of 9/11: ‘Stupidity at its best’
Salena Zito’s Butler to begin filming this month, revisiting a day of trauma and loss
Republicans fail to ease one of Trump’s greatest fears as Supreme Court measure collapses
See also  Grand Canyon flash flood leaves 1 dead and several missing or unaccounted for, park service says

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.

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.


15-year-old accused of firing into crowd during deadly Seattle mass shooting claims self-defense
Maine’s high court gives father final say over daughter’s church attendance
FAA seeks permanent airspace restrictions near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as expert warns rules are ‘not good enough’
Watch: Black Entrepreneur Humiliates Jemele Hill on CNN After She Claims Capitalism and White Supremacy Are Connected
The primary is over; now come the primetime mistakes
Trump Clarifies Stakes of Texas Senate Battle: If Talarico Wins, ‘I Will Be the Last Republican President’
Breaking: Mass Shooting in Downtown Minneapolis, Civilian Killed, Officers Shot
NFL Fans Stunned to Learn of Subtle Field-Goal Trick the Patriots Used Against Opponents in the Belichick Era
‘A little pissed’: Jeffries ally turns his back to centrist who voted to condemn DSA
Putin swears there won’t be mass mobilization, accuses Ukraine of ‘state terrorism’
Grandmother, Fiancé Turned Semi-Truck into Rolling Dungeon, Imprisoned 4 Children for 6 Nightmarish Years: Cops
Trump says Iranians won’t rise up because ‘they’re being shot’ and refuses to say if CIA would aid protesters
Sheriff suing Maryland says sanctuary laws ignore lessons of 9/11: ‘Stupidity at its best’
Salena Zito’s Butler to begin filming this month, revisiting a day of trauma and loss
Republicans fail to ease one of Trump’s greatest fears as Supreme Court measure collapses
See also  Former president-turned-amateur artist George W. Bush debuting new paintings for 9/11 remembrance

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.


15-year-old accused of firing into crowd during deadly Seattle mass shooting claims self-defense
Maine’s high court gives father final say over daughter’s church attendance
FAA seeks permanent airspace restrictions near Trump’s Mar-a-Lago as expert warns rules are ‘not good enough’
Watch: Black Entrepreneur Humiliates Jemele Hill on CNN After She Claims Capitalism and White Supremacy Are Connected
The primary is over; now come the primetime mistakes
Trump Clarifies Stakes of Texas Senate Battle: If Talarico Wins, ‘I Will Be the Last Republican President’
Breaking: Mass Shooting in Downtown Minneapolis, Civilian Killed, Officers Shot
NFL Fans Stunned to Learn of Subtle Field-Goal Trick the Patriots Used Against Opponents in the Belichick Era
‘A little pissed’: Jeffries ally turns his back to centrist who voted to condemn DSA
Putin swears there won’t be mass mobilization, accuses Ukraine of ‘state terrorism’
Grandmother, Fiancé Turned Semi-Truck into Rolling Dungeon, Imprisoned 4 Children for 6 Nightmarish Years: Cops
Trump says Iranians won’t rise up because ‘they’re being shot’ and refuses to say if CIA would aid protesters
Sheriff suing Maryland says sanctuary laws ignore lessons of 9/11: ‘Stupidity at its best’
Salena Zito’s Butler to begin filming this month, revisiting a day of trauma and loss
Republicans fail to ease one of Trump’s greatest fears as Supreme Court measure collapses

Story cited here.

See also  US Mint releases commemorative Trump $1 coin for purchase
Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter