A court in Berlin on Wednesday acquitted comedian Sebastian Hotz, 29, of charges that he had condoned a criminal offense with online posts after last year's assassination attempt against Donald Trump.

Shortly after the attempted assassination, Hotz, known widely by his stage name "El Hotzo," had asked in a post on X, formerly Twitter, what Trump and "the last bus" had in common, giving the answer that both had "unfortunately been missed."

He also later wrote that he found it "absolutely fantastic when fascists die."

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Clear satire, says judge

The posts were clearly recognizable as satire, Judge Andrea Wilms said as she handed down her verdict, adding that she could not discern any intention to disturb public order.

While describing the posts as being in bad taste, she said she did not believe that anyone would feel incited to commit a crime after reading such obviously satirical statements.

The fact that Hotz's posts had triggered heated debates did not mean they were of a legally punishable nature, Wilms said.

Rather, in a liberal democracy it was desirable "for people to be able to argue about good and bad opinions," she added.

Hotz posted this photo on X celebrating his acquittal.

Prosecutors allege hate crime

State prosecutor Marc-Alexander Liebig had argued that Hotz's statements could be classified as "hate crimes" and were such as to disrupt public order.

He said they had been made at a time when politicians, election officials and volunteers were increasingly the objects of physical attacks.

Liebig said even satirists were not above the law and that it was not obvious that Hotz's statements had been made with satirical intent.

"In Germany, you can think anything and say a lot, but you are not allowed to say anything," he said.

He had called for Hotz to be fined €6,000 ($7,038).

Ahead of the trial, the journalists' association DJV had called on Tuesday for legal action against Hotz to be stopped, saying it was "completely excessive" that the satirist was coming before a court and facing a possible jail sentence.

Iconic Trump moment

Trump was wounded in an ear after a shooter fired a number of bullets from an assault rifle at him during a campaign event in the US state of Pennsylvania last July.

 A firefighter watching the rally was killed and two others seriously injured during the shooting incident.

The shooter was also shot and killed.

The picture taken of Trump after the shooting with blood-streaked face, raising his fist in a defiant gesture, became an iconic image of his successful campaign to return to the White House.

Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher