According to WELT information, the Wuppertal public prosecutor’s office is investigating the AfD member of the Bundestag, Martin Erwin Renner. The law enforcement agency accuses Renner of insult.
The cultural politician is said to have insulted a shopkeeper after he is said to have asked Renner to wear a corona mask. Renner is said not to have complied.
The criminal norm of insult punishes defamatory actions, such as derogatory statements, gestures or assaults. Criminal prosecution is only possible if the victim files a criminal complaint. It can be punished with a fine or imprisonment for up to two years.
Members of the Bundestag may only be investigated for suspected criminal offenses if Parliament agrees. The immunity is limited to the duration of membership in the Bundestag and is intended to ensure that Parliament can work and function properly.
In Renner’s case, the Bundestag Committee for Election Review, Immunity and Rules of Procedure recommended on Thursday that his immunity be lifted. The Bundestag decided this unanimously late Thursday evening and thus approved the conduct of criminal proceedings against the AfD MP.
It’s not the first time Renner’s immunity has been lifted. This was already the case in December 2017, shortly after he entered the Bundestag for the first time. At the time, the public prosecutor’s office in Bochum accused him of violating the assembly law by taking part in an unregistered demonstration. The case was later dropped on payment of a fine to a non-profit organization.
Renner is media policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group and was one of the 15 founding initiators and part of the founding board of the AfD in 2013. At that time, Renner was also responsible for developing the party name and logo. Renner did not respond to a short-term WELT request on Friday afternoon. In principle, the presumption of innocence applies until the conclusion of the proceedings. The Wuppertal public prosecutor’s office did not want to comment on the matter when asked by WELT.
Renner is already the fifth AfD MP whose immunity was lifted in this legislative period. In addition, the immunity of two FDP MPs has been lifted since the 20th German Bundestag was constituted in October 2021.
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