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.”
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'Good riddance to the televised presidential debate'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Caitlin Clark the No. 1 pick in bullish WNBA Draft
Speed Read As expected, she went to the Indiana Fever
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 16, 2024
Cartoons Tuesday's cartoons - sleepyhead, little people, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Sudan on brink of collapse after a year of war
Speed Read 18 million people face famine as the country continues its bloody downward spiral
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How powerful is Iran?
Today's big question Islamic republic is facing domestic dissent and 'economic peril' but has a vast military, dangerous allies and a nuclear threat
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US, Israel brace for Iran retaliatory strikes
Speed Read An Iranian attack on Israel is believed to be imminent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
How green onions could swing South Korea's election
The Explainer Country's president has fallen foul of the oldest trick in the campaign book, not knowing the price of groceries
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Botswana and Germany are feuding over elephants
In the Spotlight The Botswanan president has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany as the rift continues
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine's battle to save Kharkiv from Putin's drones
The Explainer Country's second-largest city has been under almost daily attacks since February amid claims Russia wants to make it uninhabitable
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
India elections 2024: the logistics of world's biggest vote
The Explainer More than 10% of the world's population is registered for a historic democratic exercise, with PM Modi likely to dominate again
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Erdogan set back in key regional elections
Speed Read The main opposition party flipped or held Turkey's biggest cities, including Istanbul
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published