Vandalism in the election campaign: turmoil for damaged posters in Saarland!

Vandalism in the election campaign: turmoil for damaged posters in Saarland!

In Saarland, the attacks on election posters have increased significantly in the past few weeks. The police are currently investigating due to damaged and stolen posters, with a low three -digit number of cases being registered. This was reported localo.de . The AfD posters, as the AfD member of the Landtag, Christoph Schaufert, noted, are particularly affected, who spoke of around 350 damaged or stolen posters. In the last ten days, the number of incidents that take place in particular in Saarbrücken has increased significantly.

The attacks are diverse and range from tearing off and smearing to partially decorated posters. Last weekend, a color attack was committed to an AfD stand in Saarbrücken. The CDU in Saarland also reported an increase in such incidents compared to previous elections. Your office in Saarbrücken-Gersweiler was also smeared with graffiti. In order to counter the situation, instructions were given to keep the district offices for the public.

Legal consequences of vandalism

vandalism of election posters is not only a political, but also a legal problem. As n-tv.de can have different criminal consequences. The property damage falls under paragraph 303 of the Criminal Code (StGB) and can be punished with up to two years in prison or a fine. Expertise damage if the appearance of a poster is significantly changed, for example by sprays or other damage.

The stealing of election posters is treated as theft, for which paragraph 242 of the Criminal Code can provide for up to five years of imprisonment. Insults that are written on the posters could fall under paragraph 185, while painting swastikas can be punished under paragraph 86a of the Criminal Code, which also leads to serious punishments.

political context and reactions

The attacks on election posters are not entirely without a background. The increase in vandalism cases correlates with a controversial application for migration policy in the Bundestag. The SAAR-SPD also reported posters that were desecrated with anti-constitutional symbols, including swastika and SS symbols. SPD general secretary Esra Limbacher commented and described the attacks as unacceptable and as attacks on democracy. As a result of these incidents, the Saar-SPD has already filed a criminal complaint.

The number of incidents and the apparent increase in political intolerance raise questions about security and protection for the democratic opinion formation process. According to antenne.de , the ideal value of the posters in the context of democratic opinion formation is particularly taken into account by the authorities, which plays a role in the legal persecution and punishment. The situation in Bavaria, where similar incidents are counted, illustrates that this is a nationally existing problem.