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”.


Bill and Hillary Clinton Facing Charges Over Dodging Epstein Subpoenas — Again
Preliminary autopsy reveals possible cause of death for missing 4-year-old Alabama boy Johnathan Boley
Federal judge blocks Trump from cutting childcare funds to Democratic states over fraud concerns
California driver allegedly kills 2 more people while out on bail for previous fatal crash
Picking the right fight: Congressional tensions rise in wake of Minnesota ICE-involved shooting
Thomas Paine Set America Afire with ‘Common Sense’ 250 Years Ago: Pamphlet Made Case for Revolutionary War
USDA immediately suspends all federal funding to Minnesota amid fraud investigation
Border Patrol agent hugs protester in heartwarming moment caught on video during Minnesota operation
California projects $3 billion deficit as outside forecasts show bigger shortfall
‘Jeopardy!’ Host Ken Jennings Wants Trump Administration Jailed, Vows to Vote for Candidate Who Will ‘Prosecute’
Trump administration to investigate refugee status of Minnesota residents
Fox News Politics Newsletter: AOC accuses Vance of believing ‘American people should be assassinated’
Hundreds of opposition members still imprisoned as Venezuela plays nice with Trump
Video: Jasmine Crockett’s Brain Breaks as She Claims Dems Were Civil After Charlie Kirk’s Murder – Let’s Go to the Video Tape
Noem praises DHS officers on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day as attacks on federal agents spike nationwide
See also  Fox News garnered highest non-election year ratings in 2025, beating CNN and NBC

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.


Bill and Hillary Clinton Facing Charges Over Dodging Epstein Subpoenas — Again
Preliminary autopsy reveals possible cause of death for missing 4-year-old Alabama boy Johnathan Boley
Federal judge blocks Trump from cutting childcare funds to Democratic states over fraud concerns
California driver allegedly kills 2 more people while out on bail for previous fatal crash
Picking the right fight: Congressional tensions rise in wake of Minnesota ICE-involved shooting
Thomas Paine Set America Afire with ‘Common Sense’ 250 Years Ago: Pamphlet Made Case for Revolutionary War
USDA immediately suspends all federal funding to Minnesota amid fraud investigation
Border Patrol agent hugs protester in heartwarming moment caught on video during Minnesota operation
California projects $3 billion deficit as outside forecasts show bigger shortfall
‘Jeopardy!’ Host Ken Jennings Wants Trump Administration Jailed, Vows to Vote for Candidate Who Will ‘Prosecute’
Trump administration to investigate refugee status of Minnesota residents
Fox News Politics Newsletter: AOC accuses Vance of believing ‘American people should be assassinated’
Hundreds of opposition members still imprisoned as Venezuela plays nice with Trump
Video: Jasmine Crockett’s Brain Breaks as She Claims Dems Were Civil After Charlie Kirk’s Murder – Let’s Go to the Video Tape
Noem praises DHS officers on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day as attacks on federal agents spike nationwide
See also  Tim Walz to hold press conference on Monday amid rumors he will not run for reelection

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.


Bill and Hillary Clinton Facing Charges Over Dodging Epstein Subpoenas — Again
Preliminary autopsy reveals possible cause of death for missing 4-year-old Alabama boy Johnathan Boley
Federal judge blocks Trump from cutting childcare funds to Democratic states over fraud concerns
California driver allegedly kills 2 more people while out on bail for previous fatal crash
Picking the right fight: Congressional tensions rise in wake of Minnesota ICE-involved shooting
Thomas Paine Set America Afire with ‘Common Sense’ 250 Years Ago: Pamphlet Made Case for Revolutionary War
USDA immediately suspends all federal funding to Minnesota amid fraud investigation
Border Patrol agent hugs protester in heartwarming moment caught on video during Minnesota operation
California projects $3 billion deficit as outside forecasts show bigger shortfall
‘Jeopardy!’ Host Ken Jennings Wants Trump Administration Jailed, Vows to Vote for Candidate Who Will ‘Prosecute’
Trump administration to investigate refugee status of Minnesota residents
Fox News Politics Newsletter: AOC accuses Vance of believing ‘American people should be assassinated’
Hundreds of opposition members still imprisoned as Venezuela plays nice with Trump
Video: Jasmine Crockett’s Brain Breaks as She Claims Dems Were Civil After Charlie Kirk’s Murder – Let’s Go to the Video Tape
Noem praises DHS officers on Law Enforcement Appreciation Day as attacks on federal agents spike nationwide

Story cited here.

See also  New top Democrat on House CCP committee took cash from China-linked donors
Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter