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”.


House Republicans confront NJ governor over 6,600 noncitizens registered to vote in alleged software failure
Jon Bon Jovi Abruptly Ends Madison Square Garden Show: ‘I’m Gonna Have to Cool It’
White House Moves to ‘Restore Trust’ in Smithsonian Institution
White House Correspondents’ Association dinner do-over features enhanced security measures, smaller crowd
Succession: Why Congress has no clear plan when lawmakers can’t serve
Combat vet senator chokes up over fallen friend in fiery floor speech about Iran war: ‘We will finish it’
EXCLUSIVE: ICE removes former NFL player Daniel Ogama Adongo after visa overstay, criminal record
At least 200,000 Europeans forced to evacuate raging wildfires
Leftists Seethe as Ella Langley’s Chart-Topping Country Song Makes History
Republican Lawmakers Demand Action After Somali Gangs Open Fire in Minnesota Park
LeBron James Announces He’s Headed to a New Team – One Peculiar Line from His Explanation Stands Out
Georgia high school shooting suspect Colt Gray changes plea to guilty, now faces life in prison
Ilhan Omar’s office housed inside Somali community center that received redirected Feeding Our Future donations
Man accused of raping three underage girls faces new charge from prison
Injuries reported in crash involving police vessel near Westminster Bridge in London
See also  Five dead after group attempts to save struggling swimmer in Ohio

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.


House Republicans confront NJ governor over 6,600 noncitizens registered to vote in alleged software failure
Jon Bon Jovi Abruptly Ends Madison Square Garden Show: ‘I’m Gonna Have to Cool It’
White House Moves to ‘Restore Trust’ in Smithsonian Institution
White House Correspondents’ Association dinner do-over features enhanced security measures, smaller crowd
Succession: Why Congress has no clear plan when lawmakers can’t serve
Combat vet senator chokes up over fallen friend in fiery floor speech about Iran war: ‘We will finish it’
EXCLUSIVE: ICE removes former NFL player Daniel Ogama Adongo after visa overstay, criminal record
At least 200,000 Europeans forced to evacuate raging wildfires
Leftists Seethe as Ella Langley’s Chart-Topping Country Song Makes History
Republican Lawmakers Demand Action After Somali Gangs Open Fire in Minnesota Park
LeBron James Announces He’s Headed to a New Team – One Peculiar Line from His Explanation Stands Out
Georgia high school shooting suspect Colt Gray changes plea to guilty, now faces life in prison
Ilhan Omar’s office housed inside Somali community center that received redirected Feeding Our Future donations
Man accused of raping three underage girls faces new charge from prison
Injuries reported in crash involving police vessel near Westminster Bridge in London
See also  Five dead after group attempts to save struggling swimmer in Ohio

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.


House Republicans confront NJ governor over 6,600 noncitizens registered to vote in alleged software failure
Jon Bon Jovi Abruptly Ends Madison Square Garden Show: ‘I’m Gonna Have to Cool It’
White House Moves to ‘Restore Trust’ in Smithsonian Institution
White House Correspondents’ Association dinner do-over features enhanced security measures, smaller crowd
Succession: Why Congress has no clear plan when lawmakers can’t serve
Combat vet senator chokes up over fallen friend in fiery floor speech about Iran war: ‘We will finish it’
EXCLUSIVE: ICE removes former NFL player Daniel Ogama Adongo after visa overstay, criminal record
At least 200,000 Europeans forced to evacuate raging wildfires
Leftists Seethe as Ella Langley’s Chart-Topping Country Song Makes History
Republican Lawmakers Demand Action After Somali Gangs Open Fire in Minnesota Park
LeBron James Announces He’s Headed to a New Team – One Peculiar Line from His Explanation Stands Out
Georgia high school shooting suspect Colt Gray changes plea to guilty, now faces life in prison
Ilhan Omar’s office housed inside Somali community center that received redirected Feeding Our Future donations
Man accused of raping three underage girls faces new charge from prison
Injuries reported in crash involving police vessel near Westminster Bridge in London

Story cited here.

See also  Five dead after group attempts to save struggling swimmer in Ohio
Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter