President of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution Thomas Haldenwang
Image: Reuters
Is the Office for the Protection of the Constitution too present in the media? And does he act as a “mood police”? No. Because freedom of expression has limits that must be defended. A guest post.
ILately, headlines and articles have repeatedly appeared in public discourse questioning the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) and its work. There is talk of a “mood police”, a “language police” or even “government protection”. Political opinions are discredited as extremist “on instructions” as soon as they deviate from the political and social mainstream or criticize government actions or the work of democratic parties.
To make one thing unmistakably clear: There is freedom of expression in Germany – and that's a good thing! Freedom of expression is a fundamental component of our Basic Law and is one of the greatest assets of our free, democratic basic order. As such, it is also protected by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
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