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| Comedian’s Takedown of Turkish President Tests Free Speech in Germany | Comedian’s Takedown of Turkish President Tests Free Speech in Germany |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| BERLIN — Germany’s comics love President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Or at least to make fun of him mercilessly. And for Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, that is no laughing matter. | BERLIN — Germany’s comics love President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey. Or at least to make fun of him mercilessly. And for Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, that is no laughing matter. |
| Having struck a deal with Mr. Erdogan in March to stop the flow of migrants trying to reach Europe, she and all the European Union now depend on him to follow through. | Having struck a deal with Mr. Erdogan in March to stop the flow of migrants trying to reach Europe, she and all the European Union now depend on him to follow through. |
| Since that deal, Mr. Erdogan’s combination of tough-mindedness and thin skin — demonstrated in his repeated crackdowns on media critics at home — has proved irresistible to his critics in Germany, not least its comics. | Since that deal, Mr. Erdogan’s combination of tough-mindedness and thin skin — demonstrated in his repeated crackdowns on media critics at home — has proved irresistible to his critics in Germany, not least its comics. |
| A few weeks ago, a video by the comedy show “extra3” caused a stir for its satire of Mr. Erdogan, prompting Ankara to call in the German ambassador for a dressing down. This time, the satire and the dispute have reached another level, handing Ms. Merkel a tough diplomatic tangle and a dilemma over the limits of free speech. | A few weeks ago, a video by the comedy show “extra3” caused a stir for its satire of Mr. Erdogan, prompting Ankara to call in the German ambassador for a dressing down. This time, the satire and the dispute have reached another level, handing Ms. Merkel a tough diplomatic tangle and a dilemma over the limits of free speech. |
| Not to be outdone by his peers, the German television comedian and satirist Jan Böhmermann featured a recent segment on his show “Neo Magazin Royale” that he characterized as “abusive criticism” of Mr. Erdogan. | Not to be outdone by his peers, the German television comedian and satirist Jan Böhmermann featured a recent segment on his show “Neo Magazin Royale” that he characterized as “abusive criticism” of Mr. Erdogan. |
| Reading a poem laced with profanity in front of a Turkish flag and a portrait of Mr. Erdogan, Mr. Böhmermann openly acknowledged that he was being deliberately offensive. The prior critique of the Turkish leader, he made clear, had simply been too mild. | Reading a poem laced with profanity in front of a Turkish flag and a portrait of Mr. Erdogan, Mr. Böhmermann openly acknowledged that he was being deliberately offensive. The prior critique of the Turkish leader, he made clear, had simply been too mild. |
| The public broadcaster ZDF, on which Mr. Böhmermann’s show appears, was first to react, yanking the entire show offline a day later, and restoring it after 24 hours, minus the crude poem. | The public broadcaster ZDF, on which Mr. Böhmermann’s show appears, was first to react, yanking the entire show offline a day later, and restoring it after 24 hours, minus the crude poem. |
| This weekend, however, the Turkish Embassy lodged a formal request with the German foreign ministry to prosecute Mr. Böhmermann in accordance with a little-known German law on insulting foreign leaders. | This weekend, however, the Turkish Embassy lodged a formal request with the German foreign ministry to prosecute Mr. Böhmermann in accordance with a little-known German law on insulting foreign leaders. |
| To critics of the Turkish president, whose government recently took over the opposition newspaper Zaman, the move appears little more than an attempt by Mr. Erdogan to exploit his new leverage over Europe to export his media censorship. | To critics of the Turkish president, whose government recently took over the opposition newspaper Zaman, the move appears little more than an attempt by Mr. Erdogan to exploit his new leverage over Europe to export his media censorship. |
| State prosecutors in Mainz, where the ZDF network is based, had already said last week that they were examining whether Mr. Böhmermann had broken the law. But the Turkish request was launched under the separate provision for foreign leaders, which requires the government to permit a court procedure. | State prosecutors in Mainz, where the ZDF network is based, had already said last week that they were examining whether Mr. Böhmermann had broken the law. But the Turkish request was launched under the separate provision for foreign leaders, which requires the government to permit a court procedure. |
| Initially, Ms. Merkel concurred with the Turkish prime minister that the poem was “deliberately offensive.” But the remarks did little to appease the Turks, and instead swelled into a rare showdown between Ms. Merkel’s government and leading German media over the limits of free speech. | Initially, Ms. Merkel concurred with the Turkish prime minister that the poem was “deliberately offensive.” But the remarks did little to appease the Turks, and instead swelled into a rare showdown between Ms. Merkel’s government and leading German media over the limits of free speech. |
| Senior government officials will now huddle to come up with a response. Either way Ms. Merkel turns is fraught with peril. | |
| “If she decides the day after tomorrow that Mr. Böhmermann has exercised his right to satire,” Bernhard Pörksen, a media expert at the University of Tübingen, “she risks offending a highly sensitive president who is trampling press freedom in his own country.” | “If she decides the day after tomorrow that Mr. Böhmermann has exercised his right to satire,” Bernhard Pörksen, a media expert at the University of Tübingen, “she risks offending a highly sensitive president who is trampling press freedom in his own country.” |
| “But if she authorizes a court prosecution, there will be a powerful outcry inside Germany,” he added. “It will be seen as a gesture of submission to the Turkish president.” | “But if she authorizes a court prosecution, there will be a powerful outcry inside Germany,” he added. “It will be seen as a gesture of submission to the Turkish president.” |
| Ms. Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said a response will take “days — not weeks, but some days.” | Ms. Merkel’s spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said a response will take “days — not weeks, but some days.” |
| He said the chancellor placed the highest value on constitutional protections of free speech and would not sacrifice those for political expediency. | |
| “The solution of the refugee question is of common interest to Germany, the European Union and Turkey,” Mr. Seibert said. But “the basic values of the Constitution are nonnegotiable, independent of whether Germany is working with others to tackle a political challenge together.” | “The solution of the refugee question is of common interest to Germany, the European Union and Turkey,” Mr. Seibert said. But “the basic values of the Constitution are nonnegotiable, independent of whether Germany is working with others to tackle a political challenge together.” |
| His statement followed surprisingly strong backing for Mr. Böhmermann from the head of the influential Axel Springer publishing house, which produces the best-selling newspapers Bild and Die Welt and is more often seen as conservative than liberal. | His statement followed surprisingly strong backing for Mr. Böhmermann from the head of the influential Axel Springer publishing house, which produces the best-selling newspapers Bild and Die Welt and is more often seen as conservative than liberal. |
| Mathias Döpfner, the publisher, wrote an eloquent open letter this weekend in which he praised Mr. Böhmermann’s poem as a “masterpiece,” and stressed that — although he did not know the comic or watch his show — he was ready to back every word. | Mathias Döpfner, the publisher, wrote an eloquent open letter this weekend in which he praised Mr. Böhmermann’s poem as a “masterpiece,” and stressed that — although he did not know the comic or watch his show — he was ready to back every word. |
| Influential publications like the Die Zeit weekly, Der Spiegel and the Sunday edition of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung had already shown strong support for Mr. Böhmermann. | Influential publications like the Die Zeit weekly, Der Spiegel and the Sunday edition of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung had already shown strong support for Mr. Böhmermann. |
| “He is through and through a son of Germany,” the Frankfurt paper wrote, “and indeed exactly the kind which this modern Germany wants to have.” | “He is through and through a son of Germany,” the Frankfurt paper wrote, “and indeed exactly the kind which this modern Germany wants to have.” |
| Mr. Pörksen, the media expert, said that the 35-year-old comic had indeed pulled off “something really interesting” by mixing abusive content with a satirical framework. Though Mr. Pörksen is not a lawyer, he concurred with several media lawyers in recent days that Mr. Böhmermann’s words are probably protected under Article 5 of Germany’s Basic Law, or Constitution. | Mr. Pörksen, the media expert, said that the 35-year-old comic had indeed pulled off “something really interesting” by mixing abusive content with a satirical framework. Though Mr. Pörksen is not a lawyer, he concurred with several media lawyers in recent days that Mr. Böhmermann’s words are probably protected under Article 5 of Germany’s Basic Law, or Constitution. |
| Supporters of Mr. Erdogan in Turkey were shown briefly on ZDF morning news on Monday protesting outside the network’s offices in Turkey. The president’s backers in Germany, which is home to about 3 million Turks, have criticized Mr. Böhmermann. | |
| The chairman of a leading Turkish advocacy group in Germany, Gökay Sofuoglu, said Monday that he found the poem not so much satirical as misplaced and offensive. The comic and ZDF should apologize, he said, but prosecution was unnecessary. | |
| The case will reverberate beyond the present, Mr. Pörksen said in a telephone interview. “We must be prepared for a new type of conflict which can arise in a radical digital media world,” he said. | |
| “What is accepted in one cultural circle can be seen as a terrible insult in others,” he added, citing the Hollywood movie “The Interview,” which poked fun at North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un. | |
| The satirist himself seems to be trying to skirt further controversy. He failed to appear at a national TV awards ceremony on Friday, where he was to collect a prize. | |
| Mr. Böhmermann also declined an invitation to a Sunday evening talk show hosted by a supporter, Anne Will. | Mr. Böhmermann also declined an invitation to a Sunday evening talk show hosted by a supporter, Anne Will. |