Turkish President Erdogan is using outdated German laws to bully comedians on German soil…

… Inspiring the most lucrative poetry contest in the world to insult him even more

Friends and poets! German satirist Jan Bohmermann is on trial, literally, for reciting an obscene poem about President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. The poem contains some truths and lots of obvious slander, much being of the NSFW variety.

I found a translated copy of the poem in both text (bottom of the article) and video at the Express:

Bohmermann’s poem may not suit your tastes, and it may not convince Erdogan and his administration to stop admiring Hitler and killing foreign journalists. But it certainly isn’t a “crime against humanity,” as labelled by Vice Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus of the country that refuses to admit to the 1915 genocide.

Hate speech has little to do with the Bohmermann affair. This is not about some comedian blabbing ignorance against vulnerable groups and then whining about “free speech” just because Twitter gets mad. This is about a world leader who acts entitled to punish anyone who personally insults him, and about real legal consequences.

I wouldn’t call Erdogan vulnerable. He’s the most powerful man in his country. He doesn’t claim minority identity; in a political sphere that treats being called Georgian or Armenian like it’s an insult, he currently claims Turkish nationality. If Bohmermann came within Erdogan’s reach the latter would be able to seek whatever recourse he damn well wanted, even the kind that breaks international law.

And it’s actually legal for Germany to sentence Bohmermann to up to 5 years in prison. Principles §103 and §104 of the German penal code make it legal for foreign dignitaries to request prosecution of people who insult them. Thankfully, Merkel plans to remove those laws so this doesn’t happen again. But while they remain, she’s letting the judiciary go ahead and charge Bohmermann.

Other free countries in the world are further out of Erdogan’s reach. Douglas Murray of the Spectator is in Great Britain. While Murray paints the incident as a liberal vs. conservative battle, I think we can all agree that Erdogan has a censorship problem. Hence the “The President Erdogan Offensive Poetry Competition” for a £1000 prize.

Winning poems will contain the most obscene and hurtful personal insults against Erdogan. Poems will lose points for citing political truths, even anti-Erdogan ones. Sounds like everyone is qualified to enter. Let’s go!