60 Minutes Joins German Police on Raids of Speech Law Violators’ Homes

CBS News’ (Lean Left bias) 60 Minutes joined German police on raids of those who have committed speech crimes and interviewed three German state prosecutors on the country’s speech laws.

The Details: 60 Minutes framed its report against the backdrop that after the Holocaust, Germany “strengthened its speech laws,” and that its constitution “protects free speech, but not hate speech.” One clip widely reposted on X shows prosecutors saying it’s a crime to insult someone in public or online. 60 Minutes noted that offenders often have their devices seized and sometimes kept permanently, and repeat offenders can face jail time.

For Context: On Friday, Vice President JD Vance publicly addressed European leaders in Germany, criticizing the European Union for backsliding on free speech and canceling elections. In the first 11 months of 2024, Germany registered 33,963 “right-wing crimes” which included online “expression and propaganda offenses.” In September 2022, The New York Times (Lean Left bias) interviewed two of the same state prosecutors 60 Minutes did.

Key Quotes: 60 Minutes host Sharyn Alfonsi said, “It sounds like you’re saying it’s OK to criticize a politician’s policy, but not to say ‘I think you’re a jerk and an idiot.” Prosecutor Dr. Matthäus Fink replied, “Exactly. Commands like ‘you’re a son of a b****.’ These words have nothing to do with political discussions.”

How The Media Covered It: The segment was widely discussed on X shortly after airing Sunday night. As of early Monday, it wasn’t widely covered by media outlets. CBS News ran an article that mirrored its 60 Minutes reporting. The Daily Wire (Right) noted that Secretary of State Marco Rubio clashed with CBS host Margaret Brennan on Sunday over Vance’s comments on German speech laws.