German satirist Jan Böhmermann has threatened legal action against Merkel if she doesn't take back her statement on Böhmermann's poem about Turkish President Erdogan. Merkel had called it "purposefully offensive."
Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
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Over a year after the so-called "Böhmermann Affair" launched a diplomatic crisis between Germany and Turkey, the German comedian is still looking for justice over the German government's response – this time from the chancellor herself.
A satirical and controversial poem
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According to a report by the Berlin newspaper Der Taggesspiegel on Tuesday, Böhmermann threatened German Chancellor Angela Merkel with a lawsuit if she doesn't rescind her statement about his "Schmähgedicht" – or "defamatory poem" – about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
At the time, Merkel made a public statement calling the poem "purposefully offensive." Shortly afterwards, the German government authorized prosecutors to review the poem in court, as requested by Turkey.
In a letter to the chancellery, Böhmermann's lawyer Christian Schertz said Merkel "made a legal assessment of my client's work, which is equivalent to a pre-trial."
In the document, which was shown to the paper, Schertz argued that Merkel's statement was likely unlawful, as there were preliminary proceedings running at the time against Böhmermann. He said her statement "triggered considerable consequences."
Schertz has given Merkel a week to take back her criticism; otherwise, he will advise Böhmermann to take the case to court.
Erdogan vs. Böhmermman: 10 world politicians targeted by satire
German satirist Jan Böhmermann has sparked debates on freedom of speech in Germany with his snide video on Turkish President Erdogan. Here are other politicians around the world who've inspired parody - including Merkel.
Image: ZDF Neo Magazin Royale
Angela Merkel
As bailouts for the Greek debt crisis were negotiated, Angela Merkel was often depicted in Greek magazines wearing Nazi symbols. This cover from the satirical magazine "Mystiki Ellada," from 2012, does not explicitly do so, but does portray the chancellor wearing a World War II army uniform and a vulture on her shoulder. The German government never considered any legal claims for such depictions.
Image: picture-alliance/Rolf Haid
Donald Trump
The controversial potential Republican US presidential candidate Donald Trump is often the target of cartoons and satire. The real estate mogul is not exactly open to criticism. Last Sunday (10.04.2016), "The Boston Globe" published a parody front page showing the world under his presidency. Trump shot back calling the story "stupid" and "worthless."
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/The Boston Globe
Vladimir Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin likes to show off his muscles on holiday photos. After he let the world see a picture of himself riding a horse bare-chested, Putin's presidential torso was also emphasized in satirical representations - such as here, during a Carnival parade in Dusseldorf in 2015.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Weihrauch
Kim Jong-un
The communist ruler of North Korea really doesn't appreciate being at the center of a joke. Upon the planned release of the satirical movie "The Interview," depicting a fictional interview with the North Korean leader and CIA plans to assassinate him, hackers attacked Sony Pictures studios. The FBI determined that the North Korean government was behind the cyber attacks.
There's a long tradition of poking fun at top politicians: This British cartoon from 1915 portrays Winston Churchill, then Secretary of the Navy, as a decadent Achilles during the Trojan War. The drawing criticized the failures of his leadership during the Battle of Gallipoli in the Dardanelles.
Image: picture-alliance/akg-images
George W. Bush
The 43rd president of the United States was one of the most reliable suppliers of jokes for late-night comedians in the US. Cartoons often underlined his alleged lack of intelligence. Satirists recently jumped on the opportunity to ridicule him once again when he revealed he had turned to painting.
Image: Getty Images/M. Tama
Jaroslaw Kaczynski
A float at this year's Carnival parade in Dusseldorf sparked diplomatic tensions between Poland and Germany. It depicted Poland as a battered woman trampled by the boot of the leader of the right-wing Law and Justice Party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski. The Polish Foreign Minister said that it showed "contempt for the Polish people and Polish politicians."
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/F. Gambarini
Benjamin Netanyahu
The Israeli prime minister with the unmistakable deep voice is regularly lampooned by the comedians of the TV show "Eretz Nehederet" ("A Wonderful Country"). The weekly satirical television show is one of the most popular in Israel. Netanyahu was never publically offended by the parodies. On the contrary, "Bibi," as he's nicknamed, was even a guest star of the show in 2013.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Guez
Ayatollah Khomeini
Just like Jan Böhmermann, the Dutch-born entertainer Rudi Carrell, who lived in Germany, created a diplomatic controversy in 1987 with a photo montage showing the leader of Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini, being pelted with lingerie during a state visit. As a result, two German diplomats were expelled from Tehran.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/I. Wagner
Erdogan and Böhmermann
It is still to be seen if Jan Böhmermann's provocative poem on Erdogan will lead to a similar diplomatic crisis as back in 1987 with Iran. One thing is for sure, it is not the first time that political satire has led to tensions between countries - and the ways of dealing with it are just as varied as the ruler's political style.
Image: ZDF Neo Magazin Royale
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Merkel allegedly only watched tabloid video
Schulz also wrote that Merkel made her statement "without knowing all the facts." According to Der Tagesspiegel's own court case against the chancellery, Merkel came to know about the poem by watching a version of it on the website of the German tabloid Bild.
At the time, only a short, out-of-context video of Böhmermann's reading of the poem was available, the paper alleges.
In March 2016, Böhmermann had read out a poem on his weekly satirical show on public broadcaster ZDF. It included claims that Erdogan watched child pornography and had sex with animals.
However, Böhmermann made clear that the poem's intention was to show the difference between legitimate criticism and genuine insults. He also said it was a satirical response to the thousands of "lese majeste" cases the Turkish president was pursuing in Turkey and abroad.
After the satirist read the poem, Erdogan asked the German government to authorize an investigation, which Merkel later approved despite considerable criticism.
In June of this year, Germany's parliament voted to scrap the "lese majeste" law – also known as Paragraph 103 of Germany's criminal code. The law protected foreign heads of state and governments from insults.
