two writers in a row here on pbd. this one was accused of having some involvement in nazi propaganda and so, since he lives in germany, was taken to court. this post is his statement to the court and i think it very well done;

Two days ago it CJ Hopkins announced he had been found not guilty of all charges following his trial in Berlin.

You can read his full announcement on his website. For those of you unfamiliar with the absurd charges brought against him, he has written about them extensively in his columns for us, and if you want to read detailed coverage of the trial itself we recommend Aya Velázquez’s work.

For now, we will satisfy ourselves with saying congratulations on beating the clearly politically motivated bogus charges, celebrating some good news, and sharing the brilliant statement CJ read out in court:

Berlin District Court, January 23, 2024

My name is CJ Hopkins. I am an American playwright, author, and political satirist. My plays have been produced and received critical acclaim internationally. My political satire and commentary is read by hundreds of thousands of people all over the world. 20 years ago, I left my own country because of the fascistic atmosphere that had taken hold of the USA at that time, the time of the US invasion of Iraq, a war of aggression based on my government’s lies. I emigrated to Germany and made a new life here in Berlin, because I believed that Germany, given its history, would be the last place on earth to ever have anything to do with any form of totalitarianism again.

The gods have a strange sense of humor. This past week, thousands of people have been out in the streets all over Germany protesting against fascism, chanting “never again is now.” Many of these people spent the past three years, 2020 to 2023, unquestioningly obeying orders, parroting official propaganda, and demonizing anyone who dared to question the government’s unconstitutional and authoritarian actions during the so-called Covid pandemic. Many of these same people, those who support Palestinian rights, are now shocked that the new form of totalitarianism they helped usher into existence is being turned against them.

And here I am, in criminal court in Berlin, accused of disseminating pro-Nazi propaganda in two Tweets about mask mandates. The German authorities have had my speech censored on the Internet, and have damaged my reputation and income as an author. One of my books has been banned by Amazon in Germany. All this because I criticized the German authorities, because I mocked one of their decrees, because I pointed out one of their lies...........more..........