German author and politician Jürgen Todenhöfer was detained for making posts on social media comparing Benjamin Netanyahu to the Nazis.
Todenhöfer, a former member of parliament for Friedrich Merz’s party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was detained by Munich police, and devices in his home were confiscated.
The 84-year-old Todenhöfer, who left the CDU in 2020 to found the Justice Party, wrote on X, “Mr. Netanyahu, does your conscience not bother you at all when you do to the Palestinians exactly what the accursed Nazis did to the Jews?”
Todenhöfer said that police confiscated his phones and digital devices after monitoring his apartment for weeks.
While the police did not comment on the detention, Germany prohibits relativizing or trivializing the Holocaust under its “anti-incitement laws.”
Todenhöfer has long been a critic of Western countries’ intervention in the Middle East.
Although his new party has never won a seat in parliament, he openly criticizes Germany’s support for Israel. The former MP has written several books about ISIS, Afghanistan, and Iraq.
The author said he was also under police investigation for accusing former Chancellor Olaf Scholz of treason over allegations that he allowed the bombing of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.
Following his detention, Todenhöfer asked, “Is there a ‘thought police’ in Germany again?”
The German politician said that if this investigation results in a prison sentence, it would be “an honor for him” to serve the time.
Todenhöfer continued: “Because it is our duty to fight for peace and freedom in Palestine. It is unacceptable that Netanyahu, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, is warmly invited to Germany by the chancellor, while his critics face the threat of imprisonment, house searches, and confiscation.”
The author, who denies the incitement charge, pointed to a passage in his book, And If No One Follows You, Go Alone, stating, “There is nothing to relativize about the Holocaust. It is and will remain the greatest crime in German history.”
In a report released earlier this week, the United Nations called on Germany to “stop criminalizing, punishing, and suppressing legitimate Palestinian solidarity activism.”
Under the same law aimed at preventing the trivialization of the Holocaust, another German citizen was convicted for carrying a sign at a pro-Palestinian protest that read, “Have we learned nothing from the Holocaust?”
The conviction was later overturned on appeal, but The Telegraph learned on Friday that prosecutors are still pursuing the case.
UN special rapporteurs said, “We are concerned about Germany’s suppression of Palestinian solidarity activism with constant police violence and open repression.”