Has hampered the police in Dresden, the work of journalists, at the request of the right Pegida protesters? Still, the allegations have not been clarified. Life for journalists is at any rate in this country is dangerous.
How does Germany with the freedom of the press? At the Moment, this rather abstract question provides very specific Trouble. In Dresden, on the edge of a Demonstration of the right-wing Pegida movement, it was last week to an incident, the strikes still waves. A camera team on behalf of the public broadcaster ZDF had been insulted by Pegida-demonstrators to be according to information from the transmitter, then from the Saxon police 45 minutes long. To determine the identity, as it was called. ZDF-Intendant Peter Frey spoke of a “clear restriction on the free reporting”.
Legal situation: journalists are allowed to film demonstrations
Still the investigation is going. According to police, a Dresden citizen and protester to come to the police officers, a journalist of the TV-team because of an insult. Between protester and Journalist, a dispute was raging as to whether the camera team have the right to film the Demo participants from close range. The protester denied that and showed to the journalists. The Journalist moved a private complaint for insult. The police said today that they have separated the two bearing from each other to de-escalate. This representation is controversial. Saxony’s Prime Minister, Michael Kretschmer (CDU), defended the actions of the officials against the journalists that a “determination of the identity of all parties Involved” had been inevitable, in the case of a criminal Offence in all directions determine. The Dresden police President rejected the accusation that there had been a cooperation with the Pegida demonstrators. Journalists ‘ associations are calling for a full investigation.
In the case of demonstrations is: Who is it that’s being filmed. Who doesn’t want to go to the image, must protest digtal
To the Details in the dispute between the Journalist, protester and authorities in Dresden are fully resolved, it will take. A look at the law shows how it is the right of journalists to demonstrations, films, and photos. Where: Just at public events, journalists have the responsibility and the right to make photos and Videos. That’s part of their Job. Who thus participates in a Demonstration, agrees indirectly that the pictures are taken from the event. Whether a Journalist may not, however, publish the images also, subject to other rules. Basically, it means then: When a Person is clearly recognisable, it must agree to a publication. Actually. Because there are important exceptions to this rule, especially in the case of public events and demonstrations. Because Who can be without contradiction films, there is implied consent. And even in cases like the one now in Dresden, where persons of the publication time, want to speak, the principle applies: In this case, the Information is the Public more important than the right of an Individual to own image. Journalists berating does not help in such cases.
More and more Assaults
Nevertheless, this is exactly what happened, and more and more often. Examples of verbal and physical Attacks on journalists are becoming more frequent. Nationwide made the headlines at the beginning of the year, attacks on refugees as journalists in Brandenburg, Cottbus. Members of the right Association “future home” fueled the sentiment against the Reporter of the public broadcaster Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (rbb). Even elderly ladies, the journalists were denounced as a “traitor”. Individual media representatives were jostled, their equipment damaged.
The AfD party leadership in front of the “Kyffhäuser” in the on the edge even journalists were attacked
And also in the environment of right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), Assaults are not uncommon. In June, two journalists were attacked during a Meeting of the right national wing of the AfD in a village in Saxony-Anhalt. In the case of the attack on the so-called “kyffhäuser meeting” on two Bremer, a Reporter with a camera walked according to the journalists.
With screws, keys, beat, of the justice forget?
More recently, doubts have been expressed as to whether the police and the judicial authorities are always on the side of journalists to protect the freedom of the press. A case in the Thuringian village of Fretterode illustrates the. Two freelance journalists from Göttingen to observe in April of this year, from the village street, who in the manor house of the Thuringian NPD Chefs Thorsten Heise and received. Heise is one of the most famous neo-Nazis in Germany, he organized the constitutional protection observed the Meeting. The journalists were noticed on the street by neo-Nazis and attempted to flee with your car. At the exit they were stopped. With wrenches and baseball stormed the attacker to the thugs on the car. After a brief chase, the vehicle landed in a ditch. The windscreens were smashed, the suspect lashed out at the journalists.
Neo-Nazi March in the town of Goslar with the NPD-in-chief in Thuringia, Thorsten Heise. Two investigative journalists were near beat out of his house in Fretterode in the hospital.
One of the two 26-year-old Reporter suffered a severe laceration to the head. The other was wounded with a knife on the thigh. And although the two journalists were able to take clear photos of the perpetrators, and as a ortsbekanntes NPD-the member has identified, is not preceded by the elucidation of the fact. Over 100 days later, the alleged offenders, neo-Nazis are still on the loose. “In the space of a sentence of a minimum of two years’ imprisonment,” says the victims ‘ lawyer, Sven Adam, from Göttingen to the DW. According to the competent public Prosecutor’s office in Mulhouse, there are so far, but “no probable cause”. Instead, the Prosecutor checks whether the images of the journalists were not manipulated. The victims lawyer calls it “not much of a pursuit.” The message to send out to Germany, justice to the rights of offenders, to be fatal: “you can’t attack the press, the fear is really something you have”, commented Adam.
As before, Germany in the ranking of press freedom by reporters without borders, a good 15. Place. However, given the recent incidents, many see the right to freedom of the press even in Germany, is in danger.