German prosecution: “Call to boycott Turkish goods is legal”

Parliamentary immunity of AFD MP Kay Gottschalk, who said “Money that Turks in Germany have goes to Erdoğan, we must boycott Turkish businesses” during Afrin attacks, will not be lifted because "boycott calls for political reasons don’t go against laws".

Federal MP for the extreme right Alternative for Germany (AFD), which increased its voter base a lot recently and became the main opposition party, Kay Gottschalk had issued a call protesting the Turkish state’s attack against Afrin.

Gottschalk attended a meeting in Krefeld, North Rhine-Westphalia and condemning the silence about Afrin, said: “I am calling all citizens to boycott Turkish businesses in Germany. Because 70% of their profits go to Erdoğan. Kurds have fought against ISIS, and made sure Germany is a secure country.

An investigation had been launched against Gottschalk demanding his immunity be lifted. The inquiry continues still, but a spokesperson from the prosecutor’s office spoke to NRW newspaper Rheinische Post to state that a call to boycott Turkish goods does not constitute a crime.

The spokesperson said Gottschalk’s comments were not in violation of Article 130 in the constitution which bans incitement against a group on religious or ethnic grounds. The spokesperson stated that the call wasn’t made against an ethnic group, but rather with a political purpose, and that such a call would not result in the lifting of the MP’s immunity.

Gottschalk’s call had caused a stir among the AFD as well. AFD Spokesperson Burkhard Schröder had issued an apology to Turks and said, “I am not apologizing because we have many Turkish members in NRW.” Gottschalk had said he was misunderstood and added: “I watch in great surprise the way Turkey kills Kurds in Syria and nobody says anything, that is what I meant to convey.”