German minister ridiculed over ‘Willygate’ dispute
Social Democrat Andy Grote’s complaint about offensive tweet triggered police raid
A German minister is facing mounting criticism after complaining to police about a tweet in which he was called a “willy”.
Andy Grote, the interior minister for the city of Hamburg, filed a legal complaint earlier this year over the tweet, which said “du bist so 1 pimmel” (“You are such a willy”).
The complaint by Grote, a member of the centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), sparked a police investigation that culminated in officers conducting a “dawn raid” on the Twitter user’s flat “to confiscate the device he used to write it”, The Times reported.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The row - dubbed “Pimmelgate”, meaning “Willygate” - began in May when Grote called people “ignorant” and “daft” for going out partying in Hamburg despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
Critics pointed out that the previous summer, Grote had broken Covid rules when he celebrated his reappointment as minister in a Hamburg bar with 30 guests.
Amid the fallout of his police complaint over the tweet, tabloid Bild said that “there must be a crackdown on hate speech and routine threats on social media”.
But the newspaper questioned the decision to set “police officers on harmless tweeters while women struggle to defend themselves against the vilest online rape threats on a massive scale”.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
The Washington Post added that although incitement and defamation laws are strict in Germany, “many saw the police raid as an overreach”.
Stickers declaring “Andy, du bist so 1 pimmel” subsequently appeared around the left-wing St Pauli district of Hamburg. And last Saturday, “a large mural with the offending slogan appeared on the facade of the Rote Flora, an anarchic cultural centre”, according to The Times.
“The police painted over the mural,” said the paper, “but the slogan quickly reappeared and police painted over it again.”
Grote has told prosecutors that he will not take any further legal action in relation to the matter. But conservatives in Hamburg’s parliament have called for him to resign.
Dennis Gladiator, domestic affairs spokesperson for the Christian Democrats, said: “The most recent events show he can no longer tell people to stick to the rules without making himself a laughing stock.”
-
Can Republicans navigate their narrow House majority?
In the Spotlight This isn't the first time that a party has had no margin for error
By David Faris Published
-
How does Inauguration Day work?
The Explainer Part Constitution, part tradition
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
When does a Roth 401(k) make more sense?
The Explainer There are several key differences between a Roth 401(k) and a 401(k) that may make one option more beneficial than the other
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
The rising demand for nuclear bunkers
Under the Radar Fears of nuclear war have caused an increase in shelter sales, but experts are sceptical of their usefulness
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Germany arrests anti-Islam Saudi in SUV attack
Speed Read The attack on a Christmas market in Magdeburg left five people dead and more than 200 wounded
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?
Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
By The Week UK Published
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikes
Speed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published