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Following the incidents that occurred yesterday in the corridors of the Reichstag building, the Council of Elders of the Bundestag wants to make full use of legal instruments. That could also mean legal consequences for the AfD MPs involved.
Verbal attacks and provocations against parliamentarians by guests of AfD MPs in the Bundestag yesterday should not be without consequences: Parliament is examining legal measures against those involved, as well as possible changes in parliamentary processes. This was announced by the parliamentary manager of the Left Party, Jan Korte, after deliberations with the council of elders. However, there have not yet been specific resolutions.
However, according to Korte, there was talk of a possible application of article 106 of the Penal Code, which threatens the “coercion of members of a constitutional body” or the attempt to do so with a prison sentence of three months to five years, in particular cases serious up to ten years. The law also expressly refers to the threat to individual parliamentarians.
Does it help coercion?
According to information from the dpa news agency, the criminal consequences against the AfD parliamentarians involved should also be examined. This could lead to preliminary procedures for them once their immunity has been lifted. The members of parliament who invited the rioters to the Bundestag could have been guilty of complicity.
During the Bundestag debate on the Infection Protection Act on Wednesday, delegates in the corridors of the Reichstag building were harassed, filmed and insulted by visitors. Among others, the Minister of Economic Affairs Peter Altmaier (CDU) and the FDP national politician Konstantin Kuhle were affected. In Altmaier’s case, the rioters filmed the action and posted the video on the Internet.
A security report from the Bundestag police shows that the four visitors were invited by the three AfD MPs Udo Hemmelgarn, Petr Bystron and Hansjörg Müller.
Horror of the parliamentarians
Many MPs were dismayed by the monstrous behavior of the guests. The Vice President of the Bundestag, Claudia Roth, spoke of a “attack on the heart of democracy” SWR. The leader of the Left party, Amira Mohamed Ali, warned that something like this should not be repeated. He called for consequences for members of the AfD, “who simply smuggled people into the Reichstag building against the rules.”
Internal union politician Mathias Middelberg also demanded serious consequences for the MPs involved in the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. “Anyone who infiltrates the Bundestag with people who should not ‘visit’ but agitate,” should feel this. They should be prohibited from receiving visitors to the Bundestag until the end of the electoral period.
The parliamentary director of the SPD parliamentary group, Carsten Schneider, announced that he would hand over the procedure to the prosecution. FDP Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki called for “sensible sanctions for the deputies involved” to be considered.
Meanwhile, the chairmen of the AfD parliamentary group have expressed regret over the “unacceptable behavior” of the visitors. At no point did he “invite guests to the Bundestag with the aim of interrupting the parliamentary process or preventing parliamentarians from exercising their mandate,” Alice Weidel and Alexander Gauland said. The parliamentary group deputy and party co-leader Tino Chrupalla announced at the ARD Lunch Magazine also an apology to the harassed deputies.
Parliamentary operations put to the test
After yesterday’s incidents, the Council of Elders is also analyzing whether it is necessary to adjust the Bundestag regulations to be able to sanction incidents that have not occurred so far. The possibility of banning the four visitors, some of whom had already become suspicious, is also under consideration.
In addition, other areas of parliamentary operations are being analyzed. According to the leftist politician Korte, the parliamentary managing directors of the parliamentary groups in addition to the AfD want to exchange views on the consequences. This involves processes such as discussing the agenda or the talk time. “After the incidents yesterday, things will not continue like this,” Korte clarified.
The left-wing politician asked the president of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU), to “examine and exhaust all possibilities” against the AfD. He was open to tough discussions and provocative actions, but what happened on Wednesday was “a border crossing.” Members of Parliament have locked themselves in their offices because they saw their safety at risk. At the same time, Korte campaigned for the opening principle in the Bundestag, also for visitors, not to be questioned by the AfD. “That is something that absolutely must be defended.”
