Germany bears a special historical responsibility for addressing the Holocaust. However, in recent years, we have observed a growing trend: the systematic distortion of historical facts about the Nazi era and the Holocaust by far-right politicians, influencers, and media figures.

One example is a statement made by Alice Weidel (AfD) in an interview with Elon Musk, where she referred to Hitler as a “socialist guy”—a deliberately false characterization of Nazi ideology. Such remarks serve to shift responsibility for the Holocaust and downplay far-right structures.

These distortions are deliberately spread through social media platforms like X (Twitter) and YouTube. Right-wing actors and influencers use their reach to disseminate fake news and misinformation about the Nazi era. Platforms like YouTube and X act as central amplifiers for these narratives, which are then further spread by far-right parties and their supporters.

While Holocaust denial is already a criminal offense in Germany (§ 130 StGB – Incitement to Hatred), there is no clear legal boundary against the deliberate distortion of history for political manipulation or the glorification of Nazi perpetrators.

Beyond historical distortion, another deeply concerning trend is the glorification of Nazi perpetrators by far-right groups and politicians. For example, Maximilian Krah (AfD) downplayed SS officers, stating that “not all of them were criminals.”

Current legislation leaves the door wide open for these distortions, false narratives, trivializations, and even the apparent heroization of Nazi figures under the guise of freedom of speech and thought—ultimately undermining the principle of “Never again! This poses a serious threat to our society and, over time, could bring us back to a point in history we vowed never to repeat: the darkest chapter of our past