Böhmermann affair

Jan Böhmermann (2014)
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2015)

The Böhmermann affair is an ongoing political affair following an experimental poem in German satirist Jan Böhmermann's satire show Neo Magazin Royale in late March 2016, that deliberately insulted Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan using profane language.

Days after a music video titled Erdowie, Erdowo, Erdoğan in another German satire show had infuriated Erdoğan, prompting Ankara to summon the German ambassador, Böhmermann went on to find the line between satire, which is protected by freedom of speech legislation, and "abusive criticism" (German: Schmähkritik) of a foreign state leader, which in Germany is a punishable offense. Explicitly acknowledging this experiment to be deliberately offensive and "forbidden", Böhmermann went on to present a poem that not only harshly criticized Erdoğan for his human rights record, but was also liberally seasoned with profanity.

After the show was aired on German public television channel ZDF neo, the Turkish government released a verbal note demanding the German government to launch criminal prosecution of Böhmermann. German Chancellor Angela Merkel further escalated the situation by apologizing for Böhmermann's "intentionally hurtful" poem - later she called this "a mistake".[1] On 15 April Merkel announced in a press conference that the German government has approved Böhmermann's criminal prosecution, but will abolish the respective paragraph 103 of the German penal code before 2018. Intense criticism followed the Chancellor's decision, with speculation that she decided to allow the prosecution in order to protect Germany's refugee deal with Turkey.[2]

Background

Earlier in March, the satirical music video Erdowie, Erdowo, Erdoğan by German satire show extra 3 had infuriated Turkish President Erdoğan, prompting Ankara to summon the German ambassador.[3] The Turkish government's reaction was widely considered a thin-skinned overreaction to legitimate criticism of Turkey's human rights record under Erdoğan.

Schmähkritik

In his show, Böhmermann announced he would try to illustrate what is the line between legitimate criticism such as the extra 3 video, which is protected by freedom of speech legislation, and "abusive criticism" (German: Schmähkritik) of a foreign state leader, which in Germany is a punishable offense.[4] Openly acknowledging that his experiment would be deliberately offensive, and standing in front of a Turkish flag and a portrait of Erdoğan, Böhmermann presented an experimental poem that did not only harshly criticize Erdoğan for his human rights record, but also contained profanity.[3]

Böhmermann, among other things, called Erdoğan "the man who beats girls", and said that he loved to "fuck goats and suppress minorities, kick Kurds, hit Christians, and watch child pornography."[5][6][7] Much of the rest of the poem is devoted to associating Erdoğan with various less accepted forms of sexuality. Böhmermann deliberately played with the limits of satire and said several times that this form of abusive criticism was not allowed in Germany.[8] The poem was released two weeks after the German political satire TV show extra 3 had aired a critical song about Erdoğan, which led to protests by the Turkish government.[9]

This edition of Böhmermann's show Neo Magazin Royale was aired on 31 March 2016 on public television channel ZDF neo.

General misunderstanding

Apparently, the satire was largely misunderstood: the circumstance that the content of the extra 3 song 'Erdowo, Erdowie, Erdowahn' – based on international news videos – is in Germany, as well as in every other European democracy, fully protected by freedom of speech and artistic freedom and free to make fun of, while a text about terrible things that everybody knows are ridiculous ('fellatio with 100 sheep', every evening) risks prosecution. Besides about Erdoğan's reaction to the extra 3 satire, Böhmermann's satire was primarily about satire. The press focused on the juicy phrases of the 'smear poem'. In the many fragments and citations, the context was lost. Without it, the text lost a dimension and was inevitably misunderstood by many, including Angela Merkel, as 'intentionally hurtful'. It is one of the characteristics of satire that the key to understanding is hidden in external context. Part of the intellectual fun is merriment about the outrage of those who miss this dimension and take offense to the calculated shock value of the literal text. Taken literally, Jonathan Swift's 1729 famous indictment of the condition of the Irish poor, A Modest Proposal, is a collection of recipes for cooking babies and infants. Satirists like Oliver Kalkofe referred to this misunderstanding as they clarified that the point of the satire was in the text around the poem, not in the poem. The poem itself was "absolutely irrelevant", because the satire was on the meta-level of the context of the presentation, but "many important people at the wrong time didn't get the joke."[10]

Reactions to the show

Public broadcaster ZDF

The ZDF channel distanced itself from the poem and deleted it from the program which can be seen in its internet archives "Mediathek".[11] Few days later, ZDF director Thomas Bellut announced the support for Neo Magazin Royale and the presenter. On 16 April, the channel assured the "full legal protection" for Böhmermann throughout the judicial procedures.[12]

Turkish government

The Turkish government released a verbal note in which it demands the criminal prosecution of Böhmermann.[11] According to the law, the government has to approve the demand for criminal prosecution by the foreign government, before criminal proceedings can be started because of §103/104 StGB.[13][14] In addition, Erdogan himself made a complaint against Böhmermann as a private person because of the alleged insulting.[15] The Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey, Numan Kurtulmuş, called the poem a "serious crime against humanity".[16]

Legal complaints

20 people lodged a complaint because of his poem named "Schmähkritik" (abusive criticism). The instituted proceedings by the prosecutor's office for "insulting of organs and representatives of foreign states" are based on principle §103[17] and §104[18] in the German penal code.

Reactions to the Turkish government's complaint

German government

After a phone call with the Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, Chancellor Angela Merkel criticised the poem as "intentionally hurtful" ("bewusst verletzend"),[8] and prosecutors in Mainz planned to consult the federal Justice Ministry on whether to launch criminal proceedings.[19]

On 15 April, Merkel announced in a press conference that the German government approves a criminal prosecution of Böhmermann, though confirming reports of disagreement between a number of her coalition government's ministries and her office. Merkel said, it was "not the business of the government" to make a decision in this case, but of the justice. Considering the particular paragraph of the German criminal code "unnecessary," she however announced legal steps would be taken towards scrapping it by 2018.[20] Thomas Oppermann, leader of coalition partner SPD's Bundestag faction, criticised the decision: "I think this decision is wrong", he said.[21] In the past days, there had been dissent in this question between the SPD-led Foreign Office and the Bundeskanzleramt.[21] It was also reported that Merkel herself had changed her mind several times.[22]

All SPD ministers voted against the decision in the federal government. Nevertheless, Merkel's vote for the prosecution of Böhmermann was decisive. The opposition parties in the Bundestag, Alliance '90/The Greens and Die Linke, as well as the FDP party sharply criticised the decision.[22] On 22 April Merkel herself called her criticism of the poem as "intentionally hurtful" a "mistake" about which she was "annoyed", while defending the decision to allow criminal proceedings against Böhmermann.[1]

Media

On 10 April the CEO of publishing house Axel Springer SE, Mathias Döpfner, made a plea for "solidarity with Jan Böhmermann". He compared Böhmermann's poem to the works of Martin Kippenberger. Also he referred to Michel Houellebecq's Submission and accused the German government of kowtowing to Turkey.[23]

The Washington Post editorial board harshly criticized the German government's reaction in a featured commentary titled "Will Ms. Merkel defend free expression?" The editors hold both the "anachronistic law" and the "morally dubious" refugee deal with Turkey, accountable for what they consider Merkel's countenancing Turkish president "Erdoğan's bullying inside Germany". They however fear Merkel's "waffling" would encourage regimes around the world trying to suppress free speech both outside their borders and within.[4]

Douglas Murray of The Spectator ran a competition for offensive poems about Erdoğan, promising £1,000 as first prize.[24]

Public

Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis wrote on Twitter: "Europe first lost its soul (agreement with Turkey on refugees), now it is losing its humour. Hands off @janboehm!"[25] In a satirical letter to president Erdoğan, the mayor of Tübingen, Boris Palmer (Alliance '90/The Greens), assured the president of his "solidarity" and demanded the extradition of Böhmermann to Turkey. "Cut off Böhmermann's testicles, so he never makes fun of presidents with a short dick again", he wrote. The letter is signed "most respectfully, Boris Palmer".[16]

A YouGov poll revealed on 12 April, that a majority of the Germans supported Böhmermann's position. 48 percent of the pollees found the poem appropriate, 29 percent view it as undue. A great majority (66 percent) opposed the deletion of the poem on the ZDF website as well as Merkel's criticism of the poem as "intentionally hurtful" (68 percent). Only 15 percent support a criminal investigation, 77 percent objected it.[26] In the meantime, more than 240,000 people signed a petition for Böhmermann at Change.org.[27][28] A further poll by Infratest dimap for the German ARD broadcaster published on 17 April showed that 65 percent of the Germans considered Merkel's decision to allow criminal proceedings against Böhmermann as "wrong", 28 percent supported it. Also Merkel's personal popularity fell, 45 percent were satisfied with her work, while 56 percent were dissatisfied, an all-time low for her in this legislative period.[29]

In an open letter several artists and actors expressed solidarity with Böhmermann on 13 April. Among them were the actors Matthias Brandt, Katja Riemann, Jan Josef Liefers, Peter Lohmeyer, the TV presenter Klaas Heufer-Umlauf, writer Thea Dorn and pianist Igor Levit. "Discussions about and criticism of Jan Böhmermann's Erdoğan poem belong in the newspaper arts sections of the country and not in a courtroom in Mainz", they wrote.[30]

International legislative reactions

A 20 April 2016 Dagbladet editorial said that "People in Norway have been appalled that the German chancellor Angela Merkel has brought to life a dormant law to help Turkey's president (...) Therefore we support the initiative from SV-politicians Audun Lysbakken, Bård Vegar Solhjell and Heikki Holmås to remove a similar dormant law from the Norwegian penal code. Next week in parliament the SV-trio will propose a change in the penal code's paragraph 184a".[31]

The Netherlands announced to abolish the punishment for "insulting of foreign heads of state" as a reaction to the affair.[32]

Satire of the satire

In 2016 NRK's website uploaded a video by NRK Satiriks; the video was linked from the website's home page, by the title of the video, "Erdogan admits to following a goat home: - But nothing happened".[33]

Police protection

On 12 April it was reported that Böhmermann is under police protection, because he was threatened by supporters of Erdoğan.[34][35] The filming of upcoming editions of Neo Magazin Royale has been suspended until May 2016 due to "massive media reporting and the focus on the programme and the presenter".[35] Böhmermann had also temporarily suspended his radio show Sanft & Sorgfältig on Sundays and was not present at the Grimme-Preis (Grimme Awards), where he was awarded for his Varoufakis video.[35]

Böhmermann's reaction

On 8 April Böhmermann asked Peter Altmaier, Federal Minister of the German Chancellery, for succor. "I would like to live in a country where the exploration of the limits of satire is allowed, desired and the subject of a civil society debate", he wrote on Twitter. He wouldn't ask for help, but desired to plead for "considering my artistic approach and my position, even if it is contentious", Böhmermann added. Altmaier wrote back, that he wanted to answer, when he was back in Berlin, but didn't respond anymore since then.[36] Furthermore, Böhmermann engaged the well known media lawyer Christian Schertz, who criticized Merkel and the German federal government among others for not respecting the separation of powers in Germany.[36] Böhmermann himself on 16 April announced a 4-week pause of his TV and radio activities, which was confirmed by his channel ZDF. The next edition of Neo Magazin Royale is to be filmed on 12 May.[37]

References

  1. 1 2 Gedicht über Erdogan: Merkel räumt Fehler in Böhmermann-Affäre ein, Der Spiegel, in German
  2. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/opinion/erdogan-and-merkels-comic-comeuppance.html?_r=0
  3. 1 2 Alison Smale (11 April 2016). "Comedian’s Takedown of Turkish President Tests Free Speech in Germany". New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  4. 1 2 Washington Post Editorial board (April 13, 2016). "Will Ms. Merkel defend free expression?". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
  5. ↑ GmbH, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (2016-04-06). "Erdogan-Satire: Staatsanwaltschaft ermittelt gegen Böhmermann". FAZ.NET (in German). Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  6. ↑ "Nach Erdogan-Schmähkritik: Staatsanwalt ermittelt gegen Jan Böhmermann". HORIZONT (in German). Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  7. ↑ "Wegen "Schmähkritik" an Erdogan – Satiriker Böhmermann droht mehrjährige Haftstrafe". RT Deutsch (in German). Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  8. 1 2 Erdogan-Gedicht: Staatsanwalt ermittelt gegen Jan Böhmermann, Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, in German
  9. ↑ Extra 3 schießt schon wieder gegen Erdogan, Focus, in German
  10. ↑ Kalkofe rechnet mit Merkels Böhmermann-Entscheidung ab, Hamburger Abendblatt, in German
  11. 1 2 Türkei fordert Strafverfahren gegen Böhmermann, Die Welt, in German
  12. ↑ ZDF sichert Böhmermann rechtlich ab, n-tv, in German
  13. ↑ Fall Böhmermann: Regierung prüft Türkei-Forderung, heute, in German
  14. ↑ Schmähgedicht über Erdogan: Der Moderator und der Schah-Paragraf, Der Spiegel, in German
  15. ↑ Wegen Beleidigung: Erdogan stellt Strafantrag gegen Böhmermann, Der Spiegel, in German
  16. 1 2 Palmer macht sich für Auslieferung Böhmermanns stark, Die Welt, in German
  17. ↑ "GERMAN CRIMINAL CODE". Startseite. 1998-11-13. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  18. ↑ "GERMAN CRIMINAL CODE". Startseite. 1998-11-13. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  19. ↑ "German prosecutors open case against comedian Jan Böhmermann". Deutsche Welle.
  20. ↑ Philip Oltermann (15 April 2016). "Angela Merkel agrees to prosecution of comedian over Erdoğan poem". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  21. 1 2 Schmähgedicht auf Erdogan: Bundesregierung lässt Strafverfahren gegen Böhmermann zu, Der Spiegel, in German
  22. 1 2 Merkel lässt Böhmermann für ihren Fehler büßen, Die Welt, in German
  23. ↑ Solidarität mit Jan Böhmermann!, Die Welt, in German
  24. ↑ "'Insult Turkey's Erdogan' contest set up by Spectator magazine". 19 April 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  25. ↑ Twitter.com/yanisvaroufakis
  26. ↑ Erdogan-Gedicht: Mehrheit auf Böhmermanns Seite, YouGov.de, in German
  27. ↑ Schimpf oder Schande, Der Tagesspiegel, in German
  28. ↑ Freeboehmi - Change.org
  29. ↑ Merkel verliert wegen Böhmermann deutlich an Zuspruch, Die Welt, in German
  30. ↑ "Liebe Regierung, jetzt mal ruhig bleiben!", Bild, in German
  31. ↑ Satire must be protected
  32. ↑ Niederlande: Verbot der Beleidigung von Staatschefs fällt, Diepresse.com, in German
  33. ↑ http://www.nrk.no/satiriks/erdogan-innrommer-at-han-ble-med-hjem-til-geit_---men-ingenting-skjedde-1.12913501
  34. ↑ Jan Böhmermann steht unter Polizeischutz, Focus, in German
  35. 1 2 3 Wirbel um Erdogan-Gedicht: Jan Böhmermann sagt nächste Sendung ab, Der Spiegel, in German
  36. 1 2 Nach Erdogan-Kritik: Böhmermann bat Kanzleramtschef Altmaier um Beistand, Der Spiegel, in German
  37. ↑ Satirestreit mit Erdogan: Böhmermann verkündet Fernsehpause via Facebook, Der Spiegel, in German
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