12/08/2025December 8, 2025
Report says Merz filed hundreds of insult complaints, prompting two home searches
Merz’s office said he donated the fines from the insult cases to charityImage: Sebastian Christoph Gollnow/dpa/picture alliance
Chancellor Friedrich Merz filed hundreds of criminal complaints for insult during his time as leader of the conservative CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag,according to a media report.
In two cases, this was followed by police searches of the homes of the suspected authors, the Welt am Sonntag newspaper reported, citing documents such as lawyers’ letters and investigation files.
The insults in question on social media included terms such as “a**hole,” “filthy drunk,” and “little Nazi.” According to the report, the latter two expressions led to house searches, though in the case of “filthy drunk” a court later ruled the search unlawful.
The period in question was before Merz became the chancellor, at which point he ceased to be the parliamentary group leader.
In Germany, insulting a person can constitute a criminal offense under the criminal code, allowing authorities to investigate if the alleged victim files a complaint.
Merz’s parliamentary office “largely” confirmed the incidents, the report continued. According to the newspaper, the current Chancellor donated compensation payments and fines “in full to charitable causes in the Hochsauerland district,” where Merz’s constituency is located.
About a year ago, a house search following a criminal complaint by then-Economy Minister Robert Habeck of the Green Party sparked a public debate about proportionality.
That case involved an insult using the word “idiot.” The author was later sentenced to a fine, though not for the insult itself, but for a different post with a Nazi reference. The incident was taken up particularly in right-wing circles and triggered accusations of alleged state censorship.
