Seven-Month Sentence for Political Meme Heads to Appeal in Germany

Translation: I hate freedom of expression

A German court will this week revisit a controversial conviction over a political meme that has drawn international attention and reignited debate over the limits of satire and freedom of expression in Europe.

On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, the Bamberg Regional Court will hear the appeal in the criminal case against David Bendels, editor-in-chief and publisher of the Deutschland-Kurier (DK), who was sentenced to seven months’ probation for sharing a satirical meme depicting then–interior minister Nancy Faeser holding a sign reading “I hate freedom of expression.”


It will happen here …

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Germany’s nationalist AfD party looks to take power in 2026

BERLIN — For the 13 years since its founding, the nationalist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party — labeled “right-wing extremist” by the country’s domestic intelligence agency and accused by others of xenophobia, antisemitism and Islamophobia — has stood in opposition. Opposition to the European Union. Opposition to immigration. And, as the largest party outside the governing coalition after last year’s federal elections, opposition to Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

This year, the AfD is looking to lead for the first time — by winning control of a state government.

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Germany planning ‘Arctic Sentry’ Nato mission to protect Greenland

Bismarck

Germany is planning to set up a joint Nato operation in the Arctic in an effort to dissuade Donald Trump from annexing Greenland.

The “Arctic Sentry” mission to monitor threats in the region could be modelled on Nato’s “Baltic Sentry” operation, which started last year to monitor threats and protect infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, sources told Bloomberg.

Mr Trump has threatened to forcibly take control of the mineral-rich island that is a territory of Denmark, a Nato member.

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US troops in Germany are legacy of World War II, Cold War

Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland has raised questions about the US’s commitment to NATO. The US maintains a major military presence in Germany — a vital part of its post-World War II national defense strategy.

Germany has been a vital part of the United States’ defense strategy in Europe since Allied forces occupied the country for 10 years following the end of World War II.

Though troop numbers have, of course, fallen significantly since those days, the US military still maintains a major presence in Germany, and over the intervening decades, American military communities have formed around a handful of German towns.

The total number of US military personnel has also risen significantly in the past few years, from fewer than 39,000 in 2019 to over 50,000 in 2024. The only other country where the US keeps a comparable number of overseas troops is Japan.


GOOGLE AI – Does the German public wish that America would close it’s military bases in Germany?

Desire for Withdrawal: Recent data indicates that approximately 47% of Germans support reducing the number of U.S. soldiers, and roughly 25% (one in four) would prefer a complete withdrawal of all American forces.

Geopolitical Shifts: The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has created a paradoxical situation where many Germans feel “unprotected” and “abandoned” by U.S. policy shifts, yet 58% oppose Germany taking a leading military role to replace the U.S..

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Germany is giving eco-terrorists an easy ride

“At first, it was an adventure. Now, the cold has arrived, and police are patrolling the area.” That’s how one Berliner described what life has been like without electricity since Saturday; on Monday night, temperatures dipped to -7°C. At the weekend, an arson attack on the grid which supplies some of the wealthiest districts of the German capital cut power to around 45,000 people and over 2,200 businesses. Left-wing militants have claimed responsibility, yet public responses have been remarkably muted. The authorities would do well to shift gear, given that the disruptive effects of such incidents extend far beyond those directly affected. Germany should start taking Left-wing terror as seriously as it does threats from the Right.

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Berlin blackout: How dangerous are left‑wing extremists?

A left‑wing extremist group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Berlin power plant. What drives such an attack, and how serious a threat does this radical network pose?

According to security authorities, the assault on a gas power station in southwest Berlin was carefully planned. On Saturday, January 3, 2026, attackers deliberately destroyed cables using incendiary devices. The consequences were severe: cold apartments, dark streets, disrupted rail lines and widespread internet outages.

Of the 45,000 households initially affected, two-thirds were still without electricity on Monday. Because of the extensive damage, repairs are expected to continue until Thursday.


As a regime propaganda outlet DW plays down left-wing extremism always.

They are active in the state’s effort to criminalize support for the AfD.

Trump gets it.

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Leftwing militants claim responsibility for arson attack on Berlin power grid

German leftwing militants protesting over the climate crisis and AI have claimed responsibility for an arson attack that cut power to tens of thousands of households in Berlin.

The fire that broke out on a bridge across the Teltow canal in the south-west of the capital early on Saturday could deprive up to 35,000 homes and 1,900 businesses of electricity – and in many cases heat – until 8 January, the grid company Stromnetz Berlin said.

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Ten Years On, German Elite Still Plays Down Cologne Migrant Sex Attacks

Over 1,000 women were sexually assaulted and raped across Germany’s major cities exactly ten years ago today, in an enormous and apparently coordinated act of violence by recently arrived migrant men, the nature and causes of which are still the subject of attempted obfuscation to this day.


Not surprising. The RCMP/TPS lied to us about the Danforth Shooter being a devout Muslim who singled out female victims.

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German Elections 2026: Coalition Faces Tough Test Amid AfD Surge

Germany is heading into a critical election year in 2026, with five state votes set to challenge Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s centre-right-leftist (CDU-SPD) coalition.

Public dissatisfaction with the government is high, driven by stalled reforms, broken promises, the inability to handle illegal migration, and internal infighting, leaving the right-wing AfD poised to make historic gains.

In the eastern states of Saxony-Anhalt and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party is positioned to dominate local politics unless centrist parties can form broad coalitions. Even in regions where the AfD is not leading, its growth signals a significant shift in voter sentiment, challenging the traditional dominance of the CDU and SPD.

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German 18-year-olds asked: Are you ready for war?

Germany sounding out next generation of soldiers with mandatory survey on fitness and attitude amid fears of war with Russia

German teenagers will be greeted with a survey from the army about their readiness for war as they turn 18, when the country’s new military service scheme comes into force.

As of Thursday, all German males turning 18 will be legally required to fill in surveys sent out by the armed forces, or Bundeswehr, about their fitness for service. Those who refuse face a fine of up to €1,000 (£800).

The survey is part of Germany’s new military service scheme, which has been significantly watered down from an original proposal to bring back conscription.

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Germany Deports Syrian Criminal for First Time Since 2011

Germany has deported a Syrian criminal to his home country for the first time in more than a decade, marking the country’s first such return since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011.

The deportation took place on Tuesday, when the man was flown to Syria’s capital, Damascus, on a scheduled flight and handed over to local authorities, the Federal Ministry of the Interior in Berlin said. The Bild newspaper first reported the case.

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Merz Told To “Get Lost” at Magdeburg Christmas Market Commemoration

Mourners turned on the chancellor, blaming his continued support for mass migration for the security failures that led to the deadly attack.

Friedrich Merz’s attendance over the weekend at a memorial service commemorating last year’s attack on the Magdeburg Christmas market was not greatly welcomed by attendees. Instead, the chancellor was met with loud protests—some telling him “we don’t want you here,” crying “shame on you,” and urging him to “get lost.”

Six people were killed and hundreds of others injured—some critically—when a Saudi psychiatrist and refugee named Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, who was known to German police, drove a car into a crowded Magdeburg Christmas market during the city’s 2024 festivities.

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‘Goodbye to Berlin’

In the annals of urban history, few cities embody the tragic interplay of aesthetic aspiration, ideological fanaticism, and moral decay as fully as Berlin. Hailed as the pulsating heart of European cosmopolitanism in the 1920s—a metropolis where artists, intellectuals, and bohemians converged in a symphony of experimentation—it now awaits the course of history, evidently broken. Its trajectory through the twentieth century reads as a somber elegy for lost grandeur. Gone is the magic. The echo of the interwar Berlin that Christopher Isherwood (author of the 1939 novel Goodbye to Berlin) conveyed so elegantly has long since fallen silent.

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Another Magdeburg Market Muslim Terror Plot Proves Need for “Decisive Action”

A man, described in the German national press only as a 21-year-old Central Asian, was arrested in Magdeburg on Friday to prevent him from carrying out attacks against large crowds.

The timing and location are significant. Just a year ago, a Saudi psychiatrist and refugee who was known to German police drove a car into a crowded Magdeburg Christmas market during the city’s festivities, killing six people. It is for this reason that this year’s market quietly opened under tight security.

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Germany: 5 Muslims Arrested After Plot To Attack Christmas Market Uncovered

Police have arrested five men suspected of planning an attack on a Christmas market in Lower Bavaria. The Munich public prosecutor’s office confirmed this on Saturday evening.

According to the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office, three Moroccans aged 22, 28, and 30, an Egyptian (56), and a Syrian (37) were arrested on Friday. The five men are alleged to have planned an attack on a Christmas market near Dingolfing in Lower Bavaria. The tabloid newspaper ” Bild ” had previously reported on the case.


Remigration Now A Must h/t Patti Jo

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