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Law and JusticeGermany

German teacher fined for comparing COVID shots to Holocaust

January 4, 2024

A German court found the teacher from Berlin trivialized the Holocaust when he used an infamous Nazi slogan to slam vaccine mandates.

https://p.dw.com/p/4asA3
A demonstrator holds a German flag as he stands in front of a line of police officers during a protest rally against the German government's policy to battle the coronavirus pandemic
There were regular protests when proof of vaccination was required to participate in many parts of daily life in GermanyImage: Markus Schreiber/AP/picture alliance

A Berlin court fined a teacher €3,000 ($3,300) on Thursday for comparing COVID-19 vaccine mandates to the Holocaust.

The Tiergarten Local Court in the German capital found that the 62-year-old vocational college teacher had trivialized the Nazi regime's murder of over 6 million Jews. 

The presiding judge said comparing coronavirus vaccines to the Holocaust "is a trivialization; any other interpretation is far-fetched." The statement was similar to a ruling quoting a previous decision by the Berlin Higher Regional Court in a similar case.

Denying the Holocaust is illegal in Germany, as is trivializing the crimes committed under Nazi rule.

Changing a sinister Nazi slogan

The man published a video online showing the gate of a Nazi concentration camp.

In an online video, he altered the infamous Nazi motto "Arbeit macht frei," or "Work sets you free," that appeared on the entrance gate of many concentration camps to read "Impfen macht frei" or "vaccination sets you free."

A general view of the sign 'Arbeit Macht Frei' over the main entrance gate to Auschwitz
There were 'Arbeit Macht Frei' signs at the entrances of many Nazi concentration camps Image: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/picture alliance

He also compared the German government's measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus to the Holocaust in another video.

The city-state of Berlin had dismissed the teacher in August 2021, but he took his case to a labor court.

He was awarded a severance payment of €72,000, but the labor court ruled that Berlin could no longer be expected to continue his employment.

lo/sms (dpa, epd)

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