C. J. Hopkins, like so many anglo-saxons and other nationalities in Germany, has discovered that in reality democracy and rule of law do not exist in Germany. In fact they are inexorably dieing throughout Europe.
C. J. Hopkins is an American playwright, novelist, and political satirist. In 2022, he tweeted pictures of the cover of his essay-collection The Rise of the New Normal Reich. The cover included a swastika, and he was charged according to German law regarding “propaganda, the contents of which are intended to further the aims of a former National Socialist organization.” You can view a recent interview by Tucker Carlson with C. J. Hopkins HERE
Statement to the Court
Sentencing Hearing
Berlin District Court
October 26, 2026
So, here I am, back in the Berlin district court where I was originally
acquitted, being sentenced for a crime I didn’t commit. I delivered a
rather long statement to the court at my first trial. I want to keep it
relatively short this time.
Mostly, I want to apologize. I want to apologize to the court, and the
prosecutor, and the other authorities who have been trying to teach me
how things work in Germany these past three years. I’m sorry it has
taken me so long to learn that lesson. I think I get it now. Let me
explain.
Back in 2022, when I used the artwork on the cover of one of my books in
two tweets to try to warn people about the authoritarian and
anti-constitutional behavior of the German authorities at the time, I
didn’t think I would be investigated and prosecuted for that. I didn’t
think that I would be reported to the German domestic intelligence
agency. I didn’t think the German authorities would censor my tweets. I
didn’t think the German authorities would ban my book. I didn’t think
any of those things would happen, because I assumed that Germany was a
democratic country that operated under the rule of law.
When all those things happened, I began to doubt my assumptions about
Germany. However, when I was acquitted in this court in January 2024,
and the judge stated that it was obvious that I was not disseminating
pro-Nazi propaganda with my tweets, but, rather, trying to warn the
public about the anti-constitutional behavior of the German authorities,
I told myself, “See, Germany is a democratic country that operates under
the rule of law.”
Unfortunately, back then, I didn’t realize how things work in Germany. I
didn’t realize that if the prosecution didn’t like my acquittal, they
could keep putting me on trial until they found a court that would
convict me. Which is what they did. At my second trial in Berlin
superior court, which was conducted under harsh anti-terror protocols,
although I’m just an author, not a terrorist, I was summarily convicted,
which I found surprising, because I still assumed Germany was a
democratic country that operated under the rule of law.
So I appealed to Germany’s constitutional court, because that court
exists to deal with cases like mine, which involve freedom of speech and
freedom of expression, which is guaranteed in Article 5 of the German
constitution. Naively, I believed that the constitutional court would
overturn the overturning of my acquittal, and uphold the German
constitution, and affirm our right to criticize the government, and our
right to compare people or groups to the Nazis if their authoritarian
(or even totalitarian) behavior poses a threat to democratic principles,
the constitution, and the rule of law.
After all, mainstream publications like Der Spiegel and Stern have
done this on the cover of their magazines, with artwork featuring
swastikas, just like my artwork. And government officials and prominent
persons like Karl Lauterbach, Jessica Berlin, and many others have used
swastikas in their tweets when comparing the Russians or the
contemporary extreme-right to the Nazis. And they haven’t been
prosecuted.
I assumed the constitutional court would take that into account, and
rule accordingly, because, of course, in a democratic country that
operates under the rule of law and respects its constitution, the law
applies to everyone equally, and is not just a weapon to be used
selectively against people the authorities do not like and whom they
want to stigmatize and punish.
So I was surprised when the constitutional court refused to issue a
decision on my appeal, and refused to explain why, because, despite
everything that had happened up to then, I still wanted to believe that
Germany was a democratic country that operated under the rule of law.
But I get it now. I finally understand the lesson the German authorities
and its courts have been trying to teach me these last three years.
When I knew, beyond all doubt, that I had finally understood the lesson
you have been trying to teach me was when you sent a squad of armed
police to my apartment to intimidate me and my wife, and issued a new
criminal indictment based, not on my tweets, but on the book itself.
That really made an impression on me. As I mentioned, I’m just an
author, not a terrorist or a criminal, and I never thought you would go
so far as to indict me for writing, publishing, and promoting a
book–which is essentially a history book–and send armed police to raid
my home and terrorize my family … you know, like the authorities in
totalitarian systems do.
But I get it now. I have learned my lesson. I apologize for my naiveté,
for foolishly believing that Germany was a democratic country that
operates under the rule of law, where there is freedom of speech, where
the constitution applies to everyone equally, and where people don’t
have to live in fear of armed police raiding their homes if they
criticize the government.
I assure you, I won’t make that mistake again.
So go ahead and punish me, but please don’t send any more armed police
to my home to terrorize my family. I won’t dare to criticize the German
authorities again, no matter how totalitarian they behave or how
blatantly they violate the constitution, or what kind of lies and
official propaganda they disseminate to the public. I promise.
I understand how things work in Germany now.
And so do the millions of people all around the world who have read or
heard about my case.
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