He was insulted and described as a "little Nazi" and a "dirty drunk": As the leader of the parliamentary group, Mirz filed hundreds of criminal complaints for insult.
Friedrich Merz filed hundreds of criminal complaints during his leadership of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, targeting social media users who insulted him with terms like "despicable", "little Nazi", or "dirty scum".
In some cases, authorities conducted searches in the homes of the accused. One search related to the insult of "dirty drunk" was later declared illegal by the court. The Merz office confirmed that these legal actions aimed to pursue insults on social media, and any fines resulting from them were donated to charity.
Most of these complaints were filed by lawyer and FDP politician Alexander Brokmeier, co-founder of the agency "So Done", which uses algorithms to monitor and legally pursue online insults. Other prominent politicians have also used this service, including Robert Habeck, Bundestag President Julia Klöckner, and North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst.
The practice of pursuing online insults has sparked a debate about proportionality, especially when it involves home searches. Between April 2023 and August 2024, Robert Habeck filed 700 criminal complaints regarding hate speech and insults, emphasizing the removal of offensive content and demanding compensation through cease-and-desist notices.
Supporters argue that monitoring online insults protects public figures from abuse and encourages the preservation of linguistic culture. Meanwhile, critics warn that it may escalate tensions between politicians and citizens online, raising questions about freedom of expression and the overreach of law in monitoring social media behavior.