German Catholic Priest in Controversy Over New Year’s Eve Sermon
A Catholic priest in Munich has faced a criminal complaint for allegedly inciting hatred against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in a New Year’s Eve sermon.
Martin Garmaier, the city’s parish priest, criticized the AfD and its leaders in his traditional New Year’s Eve homily, drawing a complaint from an AfD supporter.
Hermann Bauer, the complainant, argued that Garmaier’s words had the “beginning of a malicious rumor, indeed a hate speech” and compared the priest’s sermon to “the beginning of a slander, indeed a hate speech”.
Bauer, an AfD member, claimed the priest had equated the party’s leaders with terrorists, saying that if Alice Weidel and others used similar language, they would become “criminally responsible” for inciting hatred against a certain group of people.
Garmaier, however, defended his sermon, saying it was meant to raise awareness about the danger of dividing society through false accusations and to emphasize the importance of treating all people with dignity.
The priest expressed confidence in the German justice system, saying he would not be silenced and that the church had a right to speak out on social issues.