The German nonprofit investigative newsroom Correctiv has looked into the cases of 48 members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, many of whom are accused of brutal physical attacks, verbal assault and incitement to hatred.
At least 28 have been investigated by the German judiciary and have either been sentenced in a court of first instance or have been issued penalty orders, which they can still appeal. But despite the legal cases against them, many are still lawmakers in the German Bundestag, state parliaments or local councils.
In legal terms, none of them have to fear any consequences. In Germany, the right to stand for election or to be elected to public office only expires in the case of serious felonies such as murder, manslaughter or rape.
Correctiv also looked into the judicial records of politicians other than AfD party members, including lawmakers from the Left, the Greens, and the conservative, social democratic and liberal parties. So far, however, it has been unable to identify similar behavior on the part of politicians belonging to other........