The Amtsgericht Hamburg, the city's local court, convicted a former AfD local politician of insulting four people on 23 October 2026 and fined him 800 euros. He had chaired the party's local branch in Buchholz in der Nordheide, south of Hamburg. He did not appear for the verdict: his seat was empty when the judgment was due, and attempts to reach him by phone failed.
The case goes back to January 2022 and a demonstration in Hamburg against the coronavirus measures. Two women and two men, counter-protesters aged roughly 50 to 70, were demonstrating against it. The man circled the group and insulted them, calling one of the men a "feiger Schwuler", a cowardly gay man. One of the four went to the police. The defendant told the court he had only wanted to help another demonstrator who he said was being threatened. The court did not accept that account and followed the prosecution's version of events. The fine is lower than the prosecution had asked for. Whether the verdict is final has not been reported.
The four counter-protesters had been in court themselves over the same encounter. They were charged for showing their middle finger at the demonstration and were acquitted in 2025, because the gesture had not been aimed at any particular person.
What this means if you are insulted in Germany
A homophobic insult is not just rude in Germany, it is a criminal offence. Insult (Beleidigung) is prosecuted under section 185 of the Criminal Code, and section 46 names motives directed against a person's sexual orientation among the factors a court weighs when it sets the sentence. This case also shows that a complaint can still reach a verdict almost four years later.
In Hamburg, a crime can be reported at any police station around the clock, or through the police Onlinewache. In an emergency, call 110. The Hamburg police also run a contact point for LGBTI people, reachable at LSBTI@polizei.hamburg.de or on 040 4286-70324 and 040 4286-70325, Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 15:00, according to the police contact page. That address is not for filing a complaint itself, the police say, and it is read only during office hours.
Our Germany page covers the legal situation for LGBTQ+ travellers. For a night out in Hamburg, start at Tom's Saloon or Café Gnosa in St. Georg.
