Tomasz Froelich: In Germany, fewer than 50 percent...
In Germany, fewer than 50 percent of people believe they can express their political opinions freely.
And 84 percent believe that many people refrain from saying what they really think because they fear the consequences.
Freedom of speech may still exist in law. But what is it worth if people no longer dare to use it?
One reason for this is that the law is increasingly being used as a weapon against those with different political views. In some cases, simply stating facts can even become a criminal offense.
A member of my party, @hallofraukaiser
, was convicted of incitement to hatred. Why? Because she opposed the admission of Afghans to Germany after the Taliban returned to power. She pointed out that Afghan nationals are heavily overrepresented in gang-rape statistics.
She simply stated a fact: Afghans are overrepresented by a factor of eleven. In Germany today, even stating such facts can lead to criminal prosecution.
While serious threats often go unpunished, ordinary citizens face the full force of the state when they express dissenting political views.
This is a clear example of what is known as anarcho-tyranny—one of the greatest problems facing Western democracies today.
Anarcho-tyranny describes a situation in which the state fails to carry out its basic duties, such as ensuring public safety, while simultaneously using its power aggressively against ordinary citizens over relatively minor matters.
In practice, this often means lenient treatment of foreign criminals while those who speak about problems related to migration are prosecuted harshly.
The grooming-gang scandal in the United Kingdom showed where this can lead. For decades, mainly Pakistani grooming gangs sexually abused white British girls. Police, politicians, and the media failed to act because they feared being accused of racism. In this way, lawfare also fosters self-censorship.
These are developments we must not accept.
Lawfare is a strategy to silence political opponents—and with them, democratic debate itself. The consequences are serious: people lose trust in public institutions, open debate disappears, and democracy risks becoming little more than a façade controlled by the ruling elite.
It was a pleasure for me to organize an event last week at the European Parliament featuring great speakers such as @EvaVlaar
, @DVanLangenhove
, and @ballaratiandrea
, entitled “Lawfare: When the Law becomes a Weapon.”
https://x.com/TomaszFroelich/status/2081016430716141887
