German MEP Petr Bystroň, who collaborates with the Czech far right, could lose his immunity from prosecution for spreading Nazi propaganda
Der Spiegel has reported that lawmakers on the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs have recommended stripping Petr Bystroň, a German MEP of Czech origin, of his immunity from prosecution. The politician with Alternative for Germany (AfD), which is categorized as a populist, right-wing to ultra-right party, is facing accusations of promoting anti-constitutional, terrorist movements.
Prosecutors in Munich, according to Der Spiegel, filed the request with the European Parliament to strip the German MEP of his immunity several months ago. They accuse Bystroň of disseminating propaganda for anti-constitutional, terrorist organizations.
The case specifically concerns his publishing of a photomontage of several politicians including former German Chancellor Angela Merke, current German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and the former President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz. The montage is meant to give the impression that those depicted are giving the Nazi salute.
The images are accompanied by a text reading “Bye-bye, Melnyk”, a reference to Andrij Melnyk leaving office as Ambassador of Ukraine to Berlin in October 2022. According to Der Spiegel, Bystroň has tried to defend himself in the European Parliament by claiming the investigation is politically motivated.
Bystroň is also claiming he had “artistic freedom” to use the images, referencing the artist Jonathan Meese, who has repeatedly given Nazi salutes in the past and been acquitted with reference to such freedom. The Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) met in closed session on the issue and the final decision to strip him of his immunity will be taken by a plenary session of the European Parliament.
The MEP was born in Czechoslovakia and emigrated to Germany with his parents in the 1980s. He became engulfed in scandal last spring on suspicion of having accepted bribes from the pro-Russian Voice of Europe news server.
Bystroň denies violating the law. Since 2017 he has been a lawmaker in the Bundestag and he was elected as an MEP last June.
According to Czech news server HlidaciPes.org, Bystroň met the chair of the “Freedom and Direct Democracy” (SPD) movement, Tomio Okamura, on the grounds of the Czech Parliament in late September 2024. The Czech SPD did not want to comment on what the subject of their meeting was.
