As announced, the German public prosecutor's office, represented by the controversial senior public prosecutor Silke Füssinger, appealed last year. The 15-page notice of appeal, which is available to Report24, is dated December 6, 2023. In the midst of real anti-Semitic crimes that manifest themselves every day in words, images and violence on German streets, there is still time for politically motivated persecution of the gentle scientist.
Senior Public Prosecutor Silke Füssinger took up her position as Anti-Semitism Commissioner for the Schleswig-Holstein Public Prosecutor's Office in December 2021 with a declaration of a “zero tolerance strategy” regarding discrimination against Jewish fellow citizens. It is not known in detail how many cases it has brought against new fellow citizens who, sometimes for religious reasons, make negative comments about Jews and shout corresponding slogans in the streets. However, you can read in the system media that there was a new peak in (real?) anti-Semitic crimes in Schleswig-Holstein, especially after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel. However, there is still enough time to spend a lot of state effort prosecuting someone who, subjectively speaking, has done nothing wrong.
This is where the allegations come from
For the sake of completeness, we are repeating the controversial passage of the unfortunate interview, which serves as one of the two pieces of evidence for the public prosecutor, in its entirety (the second case was a speech at an election campaign event for the “Die Basis” party in Kiel):
Sucharit Bhakdi literally said: And if you are so indolent and do not stand up and say “No! You won’t do that with us!”, then it’s over for you. And then you won't have the opportunity to escape. Israel. The Israelis can no longer escape. The country is closed. That's what's going to happen here.
And I was once asked by an American what I had to say about Israel. For me, the Israelis, this people that I admired more than any other people in the world. I was an admirer of Jews. You know I'm a music lover, art lover. The greatest minds were the Jews. I'm sorry to tell you this, okay? I'm sorry because I'm a Buddhist. I adored her. You've seen my record collection. I followed these Jewish musicians to get a signature from them. Itzhak Stern, David Oistrakh. I traveled hundreds of kilometers to hear her, to get an autograph. I adored her.
And now they are doing this. The people who fled this country. From this land where the arch-evil was. And have found their country. They turned their own country into something even worse than Germany was. That's unbelievable. And then I said to the Americans: That's the worst thing about the Jews. You learn well. There is no people who learns better than them. But they have now learned and implemented evil. And that is why Israel is now “living hell”. And I told the Americans: And if you're not careful, America will be a living hell too. And I tell you now: your country will be turned into a living hell if you don't get up soon!
Public prosecutor's office locates incitement against all Jews
Unsurprisingly, the public prosecutor did not agree with the first court, which had made an acquittal. The first judge did not see an attack on human dignity; rather, Prof. Bhakdi expressed criticism of the Israeli government's vaccination policy measures. The public prosecutor's office, however, believes that Bhakdi's statements were always directed generally against all Jews – and not just against those who are abroad. Jews living within the country would also be included.
The subsequent blanket judgments about the “Jews” and their ability to learn also no longer had any connection to the state of Israel, but were generally aimed at an objective recipient at all Jews and their alleged nature and thus also at the Jews living in Germany away.
From the grounds of appeal, senior public prosecutor Silke Füssinger
Bhakdi would claim that all Jews are evil
With his statements, Bhakdi “suggested to the objective average recipient that all Jews are (generally) evil.” Because he did not pay attention to sufficient separation in his choice of words.
Füssinger argues that this would be an attack on the human dignity of Jews:
What is necessary for an attack on human dignity is that the person attacked is denied their right to live as an equal personality in the state community and is treated as an inferior or inferior being. (…) By suggesting to the average reasonable recipient that all Jews are evil, the defendant did exactly that.
From the grounds of appeal, senior public prosecutor Silke Füssinger
Bhakdi's “attack” was directed “not only against individual behaviors or personal rights of Jews, but also against the core of their personality that constitutes their human dignity.” In doing so, he served anti-Semitic narratives “according to which Jews embody everything bad and evil.”
Furthermore, Bhakdi disturbed public peace and indirectly contributed to violence
Furthermore, Bhakdi specifically disturbed public peace with his statements at a rally on September 24, 2021 in Kiel. The public prosecutor's office explains on several pages that the statements were made at the “time of the crime” in front of a frightened and insecure audience. On the other hand, there was an aggressive public debate about the protective measures ordered by the state. There would have been increasing acts of violence in 2021 by people who saw their rights curtailed by protective measures against the Covid-19 pandemic. The crazy act in Bad Kreuznach is used as an example, although it was committed in Kiel before Bhakdi's statements. Here the public prosecutor's office jumps again arbitrarily to the statements in the video mentioned, without making this any further clear.
A perpetrator of such an attack, Mario N., who is currently charged with the murder of Alexander W. before the Bad Kreuznach Regional Court, stated in the main hearing there that he shot the student, who worked as a gas station cashier, on September 18, 2021 – seven weeks after the crime here after he pointed out the mask requirement because the Corona protective measures, especially the mask requirement, had worn him down.
From the grounds of appeal, senior public prosecutor Silke Füssinger
So, of all people, the gentle and calm Professor Bhakdi is indirectly accused of being the trigger for intense violence that was completely different in terms of timing and content. In particular, his level-headed, scientifically oriented, well-founded manner is criticized in several passages for being particularly dangerous.
The Holocaust would have been trivialized
The argument continues in a similar way, according to which Bhakdi trivialized or relativized the Holocaust. The following passage, among others, is quoted and commented on:
“The world elite have already managed to inject over 1 billion doses of the genetically based substances into unsuspecting people. (…) But will it be enough to make a perhaps decisive contribution on Sunday? l don't know. All I know is that if we fail, there is only a tiny remaining chance of escaping impending doom. We must try to reach those that are still achievable.” These forceful and disturbing formulations also continued in the comparison made in the proceedings, in which the defendant stated: “This ultimate goal is the creation of the new reality and includes nothing other than the second Holocaust Abolition of humanity in its current form.”
From the grounds of appeal, senior public prosecutor Silke Füssinger
This was “an aggressive emotionalization that was capable of lowering inhibitions.” Bhakdi thereby increased the risk of violent riots. It is sufficient that there was a mere threat to this claim; it would not be necessary for corresponding actions to be taken as a result. The public prosecutor's office's fantasy that critics of the Corona measures are in principle willing to use violence or are susceptible to manipulation and therefore could theoretically have carried out such violence is sufficient.
The context of the controversial statements was left out and ignored
The public prosecutor's office completely ignores the respective context, which was extremely important to the first judge. He had both the speech in Kiel and the interview played in full length in order to hear, but also to show, that the context was by no means inciting, but rather a call for dialogue and that the aim was by no means a blanket insult or denigration of Jews – but it is a misinterpretation. The neutral viewer must even assume that the interpretation is extremely malicious and intentional. It should be remembered that it is also the duty of a public prosecutor to investigate facts that speak for the defendant and exonerate him.
Prosecutor reinforces pandemic narrative without including opposing opinions
In view of the RKI papers currently available, the last paragraph in particular reads like a cynical mockery of reality:
Finally, it should be noted that the general political and social developments in the context of the pandemic are generally known facts. Since the beginning of the pandemic, all details about the spread of the virus, medical developments, political measures and the behavior of the population have been published and discussed hourly on all media channels. The entire population was affected and was always up to date with the latest information. (see Stade Regional Court, judgment of December 16, 2020-600 KLs 141 Js21934t20-, in: BeckRS 2020,46831) To the extent that these facts are still so widely known today that those involved must reasonably expect that they form the basis of a If the judgment is made, it does not even need to be discussed in the main hearing (Meyer-Goßner/Schmift, SIPO, 66th edition 2023, p. 244 para. 3 with further references).
From the grounds of appeal, senior public prosecutor Silke Füssinger
No specific date has yet been agreed for the upcoming court hearing against Prof. Sucharit Bhakdi. According to rumors, there will be a total of three days of negotiations, which will take place at the end of July/beginning of August.
Also read: Date fixed: Sucharit Bhakdi dragged to court because of controversial interview passage