German Criminal Code § 166

Deutsches Strafgesetzbuch § 166

Beschimpfung von Bekenntnissen, Religionsgesellschaften und Weltanschauungsvereinigungen

(1) Wer öffentlich oder durch Verbreiten von Schriften (§ 11 Abs. 3) den Inhalt des religiösen oder weltanschaulichen Bekenntnisses anderer in einer Weise beschimpft, die geeignet ist, den öffentlichen Frieden zu stören, wird mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu drei Jahren oder mit Geldstrafe bestraft.

(2) Ebenso wird bestraft, wer öffentlich oder durch Verbreiten von Schriften  (§ 11 Abs. 3) eine im Inland bestehende Kirche oder andere Religionsgesellschaft oder Weltanschauungsvereinigung, ihre Einrichtungen oder Gebräuche in einer Weise beschimpft, die geeignet ist, den öffentlichen Frieden zu stören.

German Criminal Code § 166

Slander of religious denominations, religious communities and conviction (Weltanschauung) groups

(1) Who publicly or by distribution of writings (§ 11(3)) slanders the content of a religious denomination or conviction of others and if these act are capable of disturbing the public order, shall be imprisoned for the term of up to 3 years or subjected to a monetary fine.

(2) The same punishment follows for the one who publicly or by distribution of writings (§ 11(3)) slanders an inland church or another religious society or conviction association or their institutions or customs in such a manner, which is capable of disturbing the public order.

In 1998, a German Punk-Rock group was found guilty on the basis of § 166 for the commercial online offering of a T-shirt displaying a pig nailed on a cross. All in all, there did not happen many convictions based on § 166. Religious groups bringing in charges against German blasphemers is normal though - 18 charges alone and 175 complaints sent to the German Press Council in the recent case of the satirical Magazine "Titanic" because of the cover of its April edition (during the last series of abuse scandals in Europe/Germany this year).  But this tolerant criminal prosecution may easily change some day. § 166 contains kind of useful mechanism for religious pressure groups. Suppose some religious fanatics gain more and more power in Germany - like for instance the evangelicals in the U.S. - then they just need to organize violent riots, create heated sentiment, whenever somebody says something provocating against their metaphysical belief. There you are the offense against the public order. And by manufacturing attacks against the public  order - given some half-way provocating statement - they themselves fulfill the preconditions for applying  § 166 . The original provocation turns out not only to be capable of disturbing the public order, it did already.