German police raid activists' home over provocative art protest targeting defense minister
Police Raid Targets Anti-Militarism Activists in Controversial Art Protest
A house search is a harsh investigative tool—one that, as an intrusion into private life, must be proportionate to the severity of the alleged offense. Two weeks ago on a Wednesday, state security police from Osnabrück carried out just such an operation in Bissendorf, a town 15 kilometers southeast of Osnabrück, raiding an apartment building under a warrant issued by the Osnabrück District Court. Shortly after 7 a.m., some eight to ten officers—equipped with a battering ram and wearing balaclavas—spent roughly two hours searching the home.
Their targets were two activists from the regional anti-militarism collective Rausmetall: Ruben G. and Franziska F. Neither was present at the time. "A roommate suddenly saw eight to ten officers in the courtyard with a battering ram, their faces covered," Ruben G. told our website. "She asked them not to break down the door. They went through letters, diaries, bags." When the police left, they took a laptop, a USB drive, clothing, and a canoe paddle.
What Had Happened? In mid-January, Rausmetall had staged a guerrilla-style intervention on Fountain of Wishes, a bronze sculpture by Fernando Sánchez Castillo depicting a life-sized, militaristic police officer standing in Osnabrück's Hase River. At the press of a button, the statue urinates.
The activists fitted the figure with a mask bearing a photo of German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) over its helmet, then attached a massive plaster erection over its original penis. A battle scene painting was hung in front of Pistorius, and a sign read: "The Warmongering Boris – Art Installation, Mixed Media, 2026, Anonymous." Pistorius, a former mayor of Osnabrück, presides over a city that hosts arms manufacturer Rheinmetall.
Activists Welcome the Prospect of a Trial According to the search warrant, the investigation centers on charges of property damage, insult, defamation, and slander. Ruben G. and Franziska F. have filed a complaint and requested access to the case files, though they doubt the matter will proceed to an oral trial. "Most of the time, it's not even about launching actual criminal proceedings," Ruben G. said. "It's about suppressing activism, intimidating people."
Neither appears intimidated. On the contrary: "If it came to a trial," Franziska F. said defiantly, "we'd be delighted. It would bring the action onto the stage of a courtroom—and Pistorius himself would have to appear." She argued that Rausmetall had "struck a nerve," adding, "The fact that it's so easy to provoke with this kind of vulgar humor shows just how short the fuse is on the other side."
G. called the raid disproportionate, while F. described the intervention as an "artistic action"—a commentary "on the perversity of the enthusiasm with which Pistorius, Merz, and the German arms industry have embraced the so-called Zeitenwende [historical turning point]."
Prosecutors allege that the activists cut the chain of a raft to reach the statue—hence the confiscated paddle. They are also investigating potential violations under Section 188 of the German Criminal Code, which criminalizes insults, defamation, and slander directed at political figures. The stakes are high: if convicted of defamation or slander, the minimum penalty is three months in prison—if the act is deemed capable of "significantly impairing" Pistorius' public role.
Pistorius' Office Declines to Comment on Personal Offense Did Pistorius feel insulted, defamed, or slandered by the stunt? The German military did not directly answer our website's inquiry. However, a Defense Ministry spokeswoman stated: "No complaint was filed, neither by the federal minister personally nor on his behalf." She emphasized that "freedom of expression is a central and essential democratic value of paramount importance to the minister," adding that Pistorius had been "promptly informed" of the action after it occurred.
The pursuit of the case, then, originates from the Osnabrück Public Prosecutor's Office, acting ex officio. As of this writing, the prosecutor has not responded to our website's requests for comment.
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