Merz filed nearly 5,000 criminal complaints against online critics

In his former role as opposition leader, CDU chairman and Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz filed thousands of criminal complaints for alleged online insults against him — signing them all by hand, up to and including number 4999, Nius reports.

He utilized a cease-and-desist firm that charges 50% of any damages collected, contradicting his claims of donating compensation to charity. Some complaints led to house searches by the police, with one being labeled "unlawful" after a social welfare recipient's phone was seized for calling him a "little Nazi."

The use of private cease-and-desist firms is part of a larger trend against "hate speech" in Germany since 2019. Professor Frauke Rostalski warns that this leads to "forms of self-censorship" and disproportionate reactions to lawful expressions.

Despite numerous investigations, actual convictions are rare, raising concerns about the balance of power between politicians and citizens in Germany.