The issue of hate speech is real, but putting private companies in charge of deciding what is hate speech and what isn't, is a bad idea.
In other words, governments have already repeatedly proven they should not have authority over what speech is acceptable, even in Germany currently.
Now, as it happens, Germany has a paragraph on its criminal code, § 103, that prohibits insulting foreign heads of state. Thus, prosecution was initiated. However:
1. The case was dropped.
2. In fact, legislative proceedings to drop § 103 are on their way.
So, I'm not too worried about the freedom of political speech in Germany. Holocaust denial and nazi propaganda are prohibited, for historical reasons, but apart from that political speech is free and vigorous.
The right to offend is also considered by many to be an important part of free speech-1.
In fact, I'm not so sure why the person responding to me is not at all worried. Even if the law is dropped, and this particular prosecution dropped, the fact remains: "a political artist was prosecuted for a poem insulting a politician."
If his point is simply Germany has better free speech than other countries, naming Thailand; then OK, I agree, but they're still getting close to treading a dangerous line.
1-https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/16/free-s...
It sure is (as for example, highlighting, insulting and mocking absurd religious beliefs), fully on your page there.
That is also the consensus in Germany, and consequently that particular paragraph of the penal code is scheduled to be deleted by 2018. That's one reason I'm not worried about it.
Another is this: Reporters Without Borders has consistently rated Germany in the top 20 in its Press Freedom Index over the last decades, indeed better than, say, Thailand (at 142), the USA (at 43), or the UK (at 40). US-based Freedom House in their "Freedom of the Press" report rates Germany at 25, US at 33, and UK at 39.
§103 is being removed, a paragraph that had a useful existence when it was easy to start a war by insulting a foreign head.
The "right to offend" is not being instated however, as §185 (law against insults) still exists and won't be removed, as it serves as a useful outlet for insulted people other than e.g. violence.
That's like the definition of political speech.
Also, I'm glad that this §103 will be canned - it's uncomfortably close to the Lèse-majesté laws e.g. in Thailand (that are actually used to suppress political opposition).