Witten causes excitement: Man insults the police at the middle finger check!

Witten causes excitement: Man insults the police at the middle finger check!

On May 1, 2025, an incident occurred in Hagen, which heated the minds of passers -by and led to a criminal investigation. A 43-year-old man from Witten insulted several police officers, while he drew attention to himself at Berliner Platz with his engraved gestures. In this context, the “Middle Finger show” notification could be understood as a clear violation, because the man broke one of the basic rules of respectful interaction with his gesture.

according to Express.de had decided to check the man by a passing patrol car. Which may initially began as a harmless incident, escalated quickly when the accused became aggressive during the control. He let his anger run free and verbally insulted the police. Passers -by who witnessed the incident were indignant about the behavior of the man.

legal basis for the insult

insults by police officers are not distinguishable from other people's insults. These fall under Section 185 of the Criminal Code, which provides for a prison sentence of up to one year or a fine. It will particularly delicate when insults are in physical form, such as spitting or pushing. In such cases, the punishment can be up to two years in prison. This is made by Anwalt.de Congresses can lead to.

In particular, the insult to the middle finger is considered serious and can be finished with fines of up to 4,000 euros. Insults that are not directed directly against the officials do not usually lead to an advertisement. However, since the man acted directly against the police officers, this led to an initiated criminal proceedings against him.

consequences and criminal consequences

The police officers' decision to initiate criminal proceedings against the 43-year-old is justified by the severity of his behavior. This corresponds to the guidelines, which are also explained by t-online.de . Even if there is no special criminal offense for insulting civil servants, insults from officials can be punished both directly by directly addressed expressions and by the behavior of the perpetrator. In this case, the responsible supervisor could also submit a criminal complaint. Therefore, it is advisable to deal with your own choice of words particularly carefully in such situations

Apart from the legal consequences, the incident will surely result in a discussion about respect for officials. It is hoped that such incidents will be avoided in the future to improve cooperation between citizens and the police.