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In connection with insults against Neubrandenburg’s mayor Silvio Witt (independent), the judiciary is taking action against several accused.
Proceedings discontinued against payment of 300 euros
The cases have to do with the publication of a private dance video by Witt on an Internet account of the “Stable Citizens Neubrandenburg” association in January 2024, as a spokeswoman for the Neubrandenburg district court said on Tuesday. The court had previously concluded the first case: the proceedings against a 36-year-old woman who had insulted Witt via Facebook were discontinued against payment of 300 euros. The woman was also advised to apologize to the mayor.
The Neubrandenburg native took part in comments on the dance video on January 8th and called Witt a “tick”. This equates the mayor with a “blood-sucking and disease-carrying animal, which is an insult,” said senior public prosecutor Andreas Lins. Witt had filed several criminal complaints. The public prosecutor then issued a penalty order for 700 euros (35 daily rates of 20 euros each) against the woman, but the defendant objected to this. This is how the first trial came about.
“Yes, I wrote it that way,” the defendant admitted in court. “But I was in no way aware that the word ‘tick’ could be an insult.” She sometimes called her three children “ticks”, but that wasn’t meant to be offensive. She only found out that this could be an insult after being heard by state security. “I’m sorry if the mayor felt insulted by this,” said the 36-year-old.
Citizens are said not to have been allowed to use the toilet
The “Stable Citizens” are led by city representative and fitness studio operator Tim Großmüller, who has been taking action against Witt, who is openly gay, at various levels for months. Großmüller had also recently initiated a resolution by city representatives that the rainbow flag would no longer be flown at the train station for safety reasons, after which Witt in turn announced his early resignation as mayor in early summer 2025.
On January 8th, many Internet users commented on the dance video, which shows Witt, partly exuberant and scantily clad, at a party in a student club. That day there was also a large farmers’ protest in front of the town hall. During the hour-long demonstration, citizens were said to not have been allowed into the toilets in the town hall, as the defendant stated. That made the woman very upset at the time, as she said.
That’s why she wrote that Witt “didn’t even let his citizens into the town hall to relieve themselves.” The video was then commented on by other users with “poor sick man”, “rat” and “throw him out” texts . Then came the comment from the defendant, who wrote “the tick was sitting in the town hall.”
The woman learned this lesson from the verdict
The woman from Neubrandenburg complained that she didn’t understand why she was suddenly being treated like a serious criminal. “My etiquette is perhaps sometimes a bit questionable,” he admitted when the accuser insisted. “Ignorance does not protect against punishment,” said Lins and also the defense attorney.
In the end, the defendant’s lawyer, Judge Birgit Hensellek, and the senior public prosecutor agreed to discontinue the proceedings in return for a payment of 300 euros. The woman, who lives on citizen’s money, is supposed to pay the amount in six installments to a non-profit organization that supports children.
Once this is done, the proceedings will be stopped altogether. In the end, the young woman learned a lesson: “I don’t say the word ‘tick’ to my children anymore.”
Would you please introduce yourself and provide a brief overview of the case against Neubrandenburg’s Mayor Silvio Witt?
Guest 1: My name is Andreas Lins, and I am the senior public prosecutor handling the case against Neubrandenburg’s Mayor, Silvio Witt. In January 2024, a private dance video of the mayor was posted on an Internet account associated with the “Stable Citizens Neubrandenburg” association. Following this, there were several insulting comments made towards the mayor, including one from a 36-year-old woman who called Mr. Witt a “tick.” Despite the mayor’s multiple complaints, the court decided to discontinue proceedings against the woman after a payment of 300 euros and an apology. This decision has sparked controversy within the community.
Guest 2: My name is Tim Großmüller, and I lead the “Stable Citizens Neubrandenburg” association. We have been taking legal action against Mayor Witt over various issues for several months. On January 8th, during a large farmers’ protest in front of town hall, citizens were reportedly not allowed to use the toilets inside the building. The woman who made the insulting comment about Mr. Witt was upset about this situation, which led to her making the remark on social media. However, we believe that her actions were wrong and should not have been condoned by the court.
What do you think led to such strong reactions from both sides involved in this case?
Guest 1: I think this case highlights the polarizing effect that social media can have on public discourse. The anonymity provided by online platforms often emboldens people to make comments they wouldn’t normally say in person. In this case, the woman seemed unaware that her statement could be seen as offensive, but once she was made aware of it, she should have apologized rather than digging in her heels. As for Mayor Witt, he is openly gay and has faced opposition from certain factions within the community. It seems that some comments directed at him have crossed the line from legitimate criticism into personal attacks.
Guest 2: From our perspective, Mayor Witt has been very divisive in his approach to governing Neubrandenburg.
