Editorial: An affront to free expression
Earlier this month, during an appearance on a German television show, comedian Jan Böhmermann read a poem mocking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Erdogan was incensed — and despite Germany’s professed dedication to free expression, Chancellor Angela Merkel has opted to allow Böhmermann to face prosecution for his words in a German court.
The poem, featuring bits of adult-themed humor, was similar to material performed on U.S. television by American comedians virtually every night of the week. If Böhmermann was an American comic mocking our president on our airwaves, his appearance would have gone down with minimal — if any — incident. But due to Germany’s archaic and stifling laws prohibiting the insulting of heads of state, the comedian now faces prosecution.
In the days following Böhmermann’s performance, Merkel called the poem “deliberately offending.” That touched off a firestorm of outrage among Germans who accused her of kowtowing to both Erdogan — a dictator who lately has taken to silencing the Turkish press — and Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus, who called the poem an insult to the Turkish people and a “serious crime against humanity” that “crossed all lines of indecency.”
Apparently he hasn’t been following the U.S. presidential race.
Kurtulmus issued a pious demand that “this impertinent man is immediately punished for insulting a president, within the scope of German law.”
Critics — including members of her own government — charged that Merkel’s willingness to appease Turkish officials is rooted in her fears of jeopardizing a refugee deal that was recently reached between the two nations. Despite a weak attempt to save face by announcing that she would push for a repeal of the controversial German law against insulting heads of state, Merkel ultimately cleared the way for Böhmermann’s prosecution.
It’s disappointing that the leader of a Western democracy would react so cravenly on the matter of satire, free speech and expression. Unfortunately, this is becoming more and more the norm these days. Witness the vocal chorus blaming the victims in the Charlie Hedbo massacre or pusillanimous U.S. college administrators eager to appease the voracious forces of political correctness with speech codes and behavioral edicts.
Unpopular speech is the speech most in need of protection. Without diligent defenders, free expression can be compromised or even lost, leading to the erosion of many other liberties, as well.
