German comedian to go on trial for Trump assassination joke

A German comedian will appear in court after he was charged for making a joke about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump last year.

Sebastian Hotz could face up to three years in prison for comparing the attempted shooting of the US president at an election campaign rally in 2024 to trying to catch the last bus.

“You sadly just missed it,” he wrote shortly after the shooting on July 13.

Hotz, also known as El Hotzo, doubled down on the joke shortly afterwards, adding: “I find it fantastic when fascists die. Absolutely no one forces you to feel sorry for fascists – you can just not do it without the slightest consequence.”