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”.


US Mint to produce limited-edition July 4 quarters for America 250
Trump declares ‘national emergency,’ demands housing overhaul bill be scrapped in SAVE Act push
What to know about Trump’s Great American State Fair kick-off rally
DEI Exec Fired After Getting Caught on Camera Allegedly Stealing at Knicks Championship Parade
Stephen A. Smith questions why activists are still defending Karmelo Anthony after guilty verdict
Bill Gates’ Epstein Testimony Released – Humiliating Revelations, Chilling Russian Connections
Trump admin unveils 11-foot-tall, AI-designed nuclear test flight vehicle at the Great American State Fair
Dems rattled after progressive wave sweeps New York primaries and more top headlines
Trump to kick off Great American State Fair as 250th anniversary celebrations take over National Mall
Blue state shield laws allowed 330K abortion pills to be sent to abortion ban states, pro-life group finds
Antifa leaders panic after DOJ pursues conspiracy charges against Minnesota operatives
Far-left surge: Mamdani-backed candidates oust Dem establishment incumbents
Paroled felon charged in deadly fire at New York homeless hotel that killed 6
DOJ charges 10 Southern California defendants in largest federal healthcare fraud crackdown in US history
Top Dem beats progressive who likened himself to Bernie Sanders in closely watched race
See also  Illegal immigrants among 15 charged in $1.4 million Massachusetts benefits fraud crackdown

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.


US Mint to produce limited-edition July 4 quarters for America 250
Trump declares ‘national emergency,’ demands housing overhaul bill be scrapped in SAVE Act push
What to know about Trump’s Great American State Fair kick-off rally
DEI Exec Fired After Getting Caught on Camera Allegedly Stealing at Knicks Championship Parade
Stephen A. Smith questions why activists are still defending Karmelo Anthony after guilty verdict
Bill Gates’ Epstein Testimony Released – Humiliating Revelations, Chilling Russian Connections
Trump admin unveils 11-foot-tall, AI-designed nuclear test flight vehicle at the Great American State Fair
Dems rattled after progressive wave sweeps New York primaries and more top headlines
Trump to kick off Great American State Fair as 250th anniversary celebrations take over National Mall
Blue state shield laws allowed 330K abortion pills to be sent to abortion ban states, pro-life group finds
Antifa leaders panic after DOJ pursues conspiracy charges against Minnesota operatives
Far-left surge: Mamdani-backed candidates oust Dem establishment incumbents
Paroled felon charged in deadly fire at New York homeless hotel that killed 6
DOJ charges 10 Southern California defendants in largest federal healthcare fraud crackdown in US history
Top Dem beats progressive who likened himself to Bernie Sanders in closely watched race
See also  Antifa leaders panic after DOJ pursues conspiracy charges against Minnesota operatives

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.


US Mint to produce limited-edition July 4 quarters for America 250
Trump declares ‘national emergency,’ demands housing overhaul bill be scrapped in SAVE Act push
What to know about Trump’s Great American State Fair kick-off rally
DEI Exec Fired After Getting Caught on Camera Allegedly Stealing at Knicks Championship Parade
Stephen A. Smith questions why activists are still defending Karmelo Anthony after guilty verdict
Bill Gates’ Epstein Testimony Released – Humiliating Revelations, Chilling Russian Connections
Trump admin unveils 11-foot-tall, AI-designed nuclear test flight vehicle at the Great American State Fair
Dems rattled after progressive wave sweeps New York primaries and more top headlines
Trump to kick off Great American State Fair as 250th anniversary celebrations take over National Mall
Blue state shield laws allowed 330K abortion pills to be sent to abortion ban states, pro-life group finds
Antifa leaders panic after DOJ pursues conspiracy charges against Minnesota operatives
Far-left surge: Mamdani-backed candidates oust Dem establishment incumbents
Paroled felon charged in deadly fire at New York homeless hotel that killed 6
DOJ charges 10 Southern California defendants in largest federal healthcare fraud crackdown in US history
Top Dem beats progressive who likened himself to Bernie Sanders in closely watched race

Story cited here.

See also  Daily on Energy: Hormuz traffic up, Interior cuts public comment, and Chevron powers huge Texas data center
Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter