New twist in the "idiot" affair surrounding Habeck: Pensioner reports Green Party leader

FR New twist in the "idiot" affair surrounding Habeck: Pensioner reports Green Party leader Natalie-Margaux Rahimi • 20 hours • 2 minutes reading time False statements The "idiot" affair is gaining momentum again. A pensioner is suing Felix Banaszak for making false statements. The background is explosive. Berlin - The controversy surrounding the "idiot" affair surrounding Chancellor candidate Robert Habeck (Green Party) is taking a new turn. The pensioner who spread the "idiot" meme about the politician has now taken legal action himself. He is filing a complaint against Green Party leader Felix Banaszak. The pensioner accuses both Banaszak and Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) of making false statements and is demanding a cease-and-desist declaration. Next round in the "idiot" case: Pensioner contradicts Green Party leader Banaszak - and reports him Background: Last year, the pensioner shared a meme on X with the title "Habeck as an idiot professional". The man from Bavaria was then searched at his home. This action was widely criticized. Robert Habeck himself filed a complaint against the pensioner and publicly defended his actions. Felix Banaszak commented on the situation on January 8th on the "Markus Lanz" program. He explained: "The pensioner from Bavaria, who was quoted so often, did not have his home searched because he called Robert Habeck an idiot, but because there were many other suspected cases of incitement and so on against him at the same time." He added: "Nobody gets a house searched because they call a politician an idiot." Search warrant clearly: "Idiot" meme was the trigger for house search The pensioner contradicts these statements and is now taking legal action against them. According to a report by Die Welt, Banaszak's statements were false. The search warrant clearly showed that the house search was solely about the "Idiot" meme. The criminal offenses included Section 185, insult, and Section 188, lèse majesté. There was no mention of incitement. The pensioner's lawyer, former AfD politician Marcus Pretzell, commented on the legal steps to the Tagesspiegel: "Because of Mr. Banaszak's clearly false claims, a whole range of measures are currently being taken, including a criminal complaint for defamation against Mr. Banaszak." Lie in the "Idiot affair" involving Habeck? Felix Banaszak probably trusted BR The pensioner had previously asked Banaszak to retract his statement, but he refused, as reported by Die Welt. Banaszak relied on BR's reporting, which supported his statements. He also relied on the layman's principle, according to which the Green Party leader could trust that the reporting by Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) was correct. Bayerischer Rundfunk had reported that the "idiot" meme was not the only reason for the house search, based on statements by the police. A further statement from BR is currently pending. However, it is known that other media, including IPPEN MEDIA, had correctly presented the reasons for the house search. This could still be Banaszak's undoing. However, the pensioner is facing investigations in another case, because of another post on X, which may involve the criminal offense of incitement to hatred. (nmr)