Source: spiked
by Stephen Sidney
“On 23 February 2026, police in Heilbronn, a city in south-west Germany, opened a criminal investigation into a retired man. His alleged crime? Calling chancellor Freidrich Merz ‘Pinocchio’. No threats. No incitement. Just a blunt, rather amusing suggestion that Germany’s national leader tells lies. Welcome to Germany in 2026, where mocking a politician is now a police matter.” (03/03/26)