Arrest of a Holocaust denier: Anti-Semitism in Starnberg-exposed!

Arrest of a Holocaust denier: Anti-Semitism in Starnberg-exposed!

On October 7, 2025, a 70-year-old German-Canadian citizen was arrested by the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office and the Upper Bavaria North Police Headquarters in Starnberg. The man is suspected of having committed incitement to hatred on several occasions and of using unconstitutional license plates. This arrest was made on the basis of an arrest warrant from the investigating judge at the Munich District Court, after the investigations by the Anti-Semitism Commissioner of the Bavarian Justice and the Criminal Police Inspectorate revealed information about the alleged acts that took place from November 2022 to August 2025.

The accused is not unknown, as he has already been convicted of similar offenses several times. He is said to have published videos on the messaging platform Telegram in which he agitated against Jews and spread right-wing extremist content. Among other things, he claimed that the gas chambers in Auschwitz were only built as backdrops after the war. Other allegations include false claims about September 11, 2001, which also have anti-Semitic undertones. This all happened in a climate characterized by the increase in disinformation and hate speech, particularly through digital platforms.

Legal background of Holocaust denial

In Germany, denying the Holocaust is not only a social but also a legal taboo. Some basic legal provisions were introduced as early as the 1960s to combat denial of Nazi crimes. These legal measures came in response to a wave of anti-Semitic incidents in society. It was already clear back then that sedition and denial of the crimes of National Socialism represented serious threats.

On April 25, 1985, the German Bundestag decided that Holocaust denial would be prosecuted as a separate offense. This was a crucial step because the Federal Constitutional Court made it clear in 2018 that Holocaust denial does not fall under the protection of freedom of expression. The Bundestag then tightened Section 130 of the Criminal Code to ensure that such crimes are automatically prosecuted by the public prosecutor. The legal framework reflects the urgency with which Germany must speak out against anti-Semitism and hatred.[bpb] reports that the parliamentary debate on these issues is still of great importance today.

Current developments and social relevance

The recent incidents shed light on the ongoing societal challenges in dealing with anti-Semitism. The arrest of the 70-year-old man shows that the spread of right-wing extremist and anti-Semitic content is increasing, especially on digital networks. This is not just a German problem, but has developed into an international phenomenon that is characterized by networks in different countries.

In view of the increasing relevance of digital communication channels and the development of hate speech in these rooms, politics has reacted. In June 2020, a law against right -wing extremism and hate crime was passed, which punishes the threats on the Internet more. The social discussion about anti -Semitism and the need to help combat disinformation is more current than ever and is also in the focus of future legal regulations, such as planning the coalition partners of the Union and SPD to ban manipulative practices.

In summary, the arrest of the alleged Holocaust denier remains an important step in the fight against anti-Semitism and incitement. It shows that, despite the legal basis and social commitment, there is still a lot of work ahead of us to conduct an open dialogue about these pressing problems and to give those affected a voice.