German comedian Sebastian Hotz, who goes by his stage name “El Hotzo,’’ was acquitted by a Berlin court on Wednesday in a case related to his social media posts.

The posts about last year’s assassination attempt on U.S. President Donald Trump.

Judge Andrea Wilms said Mr Hotz’s post on X following the attack did not qualify for the charge of disturbing the peace.

She said the comments might have been distasteful but described them as “non-punishable satire.

“People must be able to argue about good and bad opinions,’’ Ms Wilms said.

Mr Hotz compared the shots fired at Mr Trump during an election campaign event in Pennsylvania last July to “the last bus, writing that unfortunately both had been just missed.”

In another post, the satirist said: “I think it’s absolutely fantastic when fascists die.’’

While Mr Trump emerged from the gunfire largely unscathed, with the shots hitting only his upper right ear, one person watching the rally was killed and two others seriously injured.

The perpetrator was killed by security forces.

Mr Hotz deleted the posts shortly afterwards as a storm of criticism erupted on social media.

The regional public broadcaster RBB subsequently ended its collaboration with Mr Hotz on a youth programme.

In his closing statement at the Tiergarten district court, the prosecutor had demanded that Mr Hotz be given a mild fine of €6,000 (€7,040).

He said that even satirists were not above the law.

He said the posts should be considered as hate crimes and were likely to disturb the peace, not least because of the large audience of 740,000 followers that Mr Hotz had on X.

The prosecutor said such behaviour created a climate in which attacks on state officials could flourish.

Mr Hotz defended himself, saying that as a satirist he was “a little less serious’’ than many of his colleagues.

When a satirist expressed an opinion, he said it should be understood as a joke. 

(dpa/NAN)