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The Tricks of Eric Stehr (Die Linke) in His Fight Against Press Freedom and People with DisabilitiesThe proceedings brought by Eric Stehr against me, Bürgerstimme, press freedom, democracy and, in that sense, also against people with disabilities are not over yet. So here is some chronology and opinion following the oral hearing on 18/09/2026 before the Regional Court. 
As already reported, the much-loved, exceedingly tolerant and diverse Eric Stehr (Die Linke) had already launched legal proceedings against me and Bürgerstimme before his election and entry into the state parliament of Saxony-Anhalt. Chronology of the Legal AttackOn 28/07/2026, the alleged fighter for social justice claimed to have learned about the articles on buergerstimme.net. At least, that is what he signed in an affidavit.Possibly in a state of complete panic, he considered how he could, should or wanted to respond. He could simply have sent an email and explained what was bothering him, so that it could potentially be changed. After all, the much-loved Eric Stehr (Die Linke) regularly posts on social media. One should therefore assume that he is capable of composing and sending a simple, prehistoric email. His sensitivities could have been accommodated in this way, and his discomfort could have been resolved completely out of court. Yet somehow he failed to manage that. Perhaps email is simply far too outdated a means of communication. Defending Press Freedom – Except When It Comes to Eric Stehr?Accordingly, he apparently set out to find a lawyer near his home in Weißenfels or the Burgenland district and eventually found one in “neighboring” Düsseldorf at Prigge Law Firm. This firm has made it its mission to defend press freedom. Yeah! Um ... Except that the firm made an exception in Eric Stehr's case and launched an attack on that very press freedom.Presumably, they discussed which steps might now be the most sensible ones to take. There was nothing to object to in the published articles. They therefore correspond to the facts. But what else could be done to take action against Bürgerstimme and me and – so I suspect – put an end to Bürgerstimme? Eric Stehr (Die Linke) and his lawyer Jasper Prigge, who was now fighting press freedom, focused on the images used. Two of them had been taken from the Facebook profile of the prospective member of the state parliament. So Eric Stehr (Die Linke) promptly and spontaneously had the photographers transfer the rights of use to him. One of the images, for which he obtained the rights of use as of 04/08/2026, had already been used by him without those rights since October 2024. In the case of the second image, Eric Stehr had the rights of use transferred to him as of 08/08/2026. Stehr had been using this image since May 2026 – without the rights of use. So apparently the photographers had no problem for months or even years with Eric Stehr (Die Linke) using these images for himself. Cynics might ask why the transfer of the rights of use suddenly became so important if Stehr was already using these images anyway? The First Cease-and-Desist Letter: €20,000 in Dispute Value Pulled Out of a Hat?On 10/08/2026 – after possibly many sleepless nights and the continued inability to send an email – the cease-and-desist letter from lawyer Jasper Prigge, who in my opinion is fighting press freedom, arrived by email. At least Attorney Prigge is capable of communicating via email.A dispute value of €20,000 was simply made up, and based on this dispute value the lawyer spontaneously wanted more than €1,300 transferred to him. Payment deadline: 14 days. And I was supposed to sign a cease-and-desist declaration. However, the two images for which Eric Stehr (Die Linke) had spontaneously arranged to have the rights of use transferred were not the ones being challenged – instead, it concerned two other images that had been created or altered using AI. Apparently, this had kept Eric Stehr (Die Linke) awake at night. His lawyer Prigge cited a 1966 judgment, arguing that the much-loved Eric Stehr (Die Linke) had a right to his own image because he wanted to remain unknown and was not a person of contemporary history. Furthermore, these satirical depictions had violated his personal rights. Yes, that contradicts itself somewhat, because Eric Stehr has been very active on social media since at least 2019, had himself elected to the Weißenfels city council, was already campaigning for the state parliament, and had his face plastered everywhere on campaign posters. But hey: those are completely unimportant details. I objected to the fact that no power of attorney authorizing representation had been attached to the cease-and-desist letter. From my perspective, anyone could simply turn up and claim to represent someone without such representation actually existing. The two images were modified. On the one hand, in order to de-escalate the matter. On the other hand, to accommodate the sensitivities of the much-loved Eric Stehr (Die Linke). I did not sign a cease-and-desist declaration. The Second Cease-and-Desist Letter: Now the Other Images Suddenly AppearOn 21/08/2026, a second cease-and-desist letter followed from lawyer Prigge, who in my view is fighting press freedom. This time it concerned the images for which Eric Stehr (Die Linke), who constantly calls for social justice, had arranged to have the rights of use transferred to him. Copyright infringements had allegedly been identified.I see a discrepancy here between copyright and rights of use. Authorship cannot be transferred to other people. A photographer, musician, author or artist always remains the author of their work. They can license their works so that others may use them. It can be negotiated what the author receives from the users for such use and how extensive that use may be. This is generally set out in a comprehensive licensing agreement. However, the photographers and Eric Stehr (Die Linke) had dispensed with such a licensing agreement. No power of attorney authorizing representation was attached to this cease-and-desist letter either. The legal professional Jasper Prigge once again suggested that he had such a power of attorney, but that he did not have to produce it. He relied on a judgment concerning competition law. But this is not a matter of competition law. These images, too, were replaced on 21/08/2026 with images that were not challenged. The sensitivities of the much-loved Eric Stehr (Die Linke) were accommodated accordingly.
Support me and Bürgerstimme in this legal dispute with voluntary contributions (donations):
via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/evovi/12 or by bank transfer IBAN: IE55SUMU99036510275719 BIC: SUMUIE22XXX Account holder: Michael Thurm Despite the Matter Being Resolved: Off to Court!That did not stop the supposedly press-freedom-fighting super-great lawyer Jasper Prigge, in my opinion, from taking the matter to court anyway. From a legal perspective, there was no longer any need for legal protection. But when the amount in dispute is set this high, someone always has to pay for the “fun,” right? The supposedly anti-poverty-system-fighting Eric Stehr (Die Linke) apparently did not want to bear the costs.So it was now up to me to find a lawyer to represent me before the Regional Court. Because of the dispute value of €20,000, which apparently seemed appropriate to the left-wing politician Eric Stehr (Die Linke), who is always striving for social balance, the Regional Court has jurisdiction. The costs of the proceedings therefore amount to around €6,500. Naturally, the demand was that I should bear these costs. That is presumably the form of social justice envisioned by this fan of ANTIFA. In its letter, the court indicated that it considered the stated dispute value of €20,000 to be significantly excessive or unusual for such a case. The Power of Attorney? Apparently the Court Had to Follow Up FirstBefore the scheduled court hearing, it was once again objected that no power of attorney authorizing representation had still been produced. So there was no such power of attorney even when the case was filed with the court.Only then did the court request that one be produced. On 24/09/2026, a photograph was submitted showing a hand with bitten-down fingernails holding a power of attorney dated 21/09/2026. That is, dated six weeks after the first cease-and-desist letter. Eric Stehr himself had sent this power of attorney to the Regional Court shortly before the court hearing. Lawyer Prigge had – as I see it – therefore lied when he claimed or suggested that he had a power of attorney authorizing representation. Legally, submitting such a power of attorney at a later stage is perfectly permissible. It does, however, leave a certain aftertaste. After all, I am confronted with legal technicalities in order to accuse me of wrongdoing. Yet when it comes to such procedural principles, they themselves act rather sloppily. Applying double standards is simply part of the business of a left-wing politician too, isn't it? In Court: “And Lo and Behold” – The Power of Attorney May Be RequestedAt the hearing, the question arose as to why I had not continued responding to the first cease-and-desist letter. I explained that I wanted to see a power of attorney authorizing representation first. And lo and behold, the judge explained that I was indeed entitled to demand that such a document be produced.The article “Eric Stehr (Die Linke) and the Weather Vane in the Wind at the European Protest Day for the Equality of People with Disabilities” was also briefly discussed. In this article, one of the challenged images was taken from Facebook as a cropped excerpt, for which Eric Stehr had the rights of use transferred to him on 08/08/2026. In the article, I explain that I would certainly be willing to work with Eric Stehr (Die Linke), because I myself have a daughter with a disability. When it comes to the issue of inclusion and the right of people with disabilities to self-determination, I can draw on a large pool of negative experiences showing that, under CDU-SPD-FDP-Greens-Die Linke governments, offices, authorities and institutions are very committed to making inclusion and the right to self-determination as impracticable as possible whenever things do not proceed according to their wishes. Social Justice – But Apparently With a SurchargeEric Stehr (Die Linke) and his great left-wing lawyer Jasper Prigge were therefore aware beforehand that I am the father of a child with a disability. Nevertheless, this did not stop them from initiating these proceedings with this dispute value and demanding the corresponding costs, which will tear a large hole in the family budget.Apparently, even left-wing politicians such as the much-loved Eric Stehr (Die Linke) have limits when it comes to social matters. His own sensitivities therefore seem to be of considerably greater importance and, from Stehr's and Prigge's perspective, apparently justify such excessive action. The female spectator in the courtroom, who was presumably aligned with the left-wing political spectrum, was visibly outraged by this issue after it was once again explained that I myself am the father of a daughter with a disability. Eric Stehr's attorney, representing him, appeared comparatively unmoved. He said that there could have been a discussion about the €1,300 demanded in the first cease-and-desist letter. However, the letter itself did not indicate that this amount was intended as a basis for negotiation. The judge also expressed considerable surprise that such proceedings had been initiated by a left-wing politician. I could absolutely agree with that, as it really is absurd. Cease and Desist Instead of a Judgment – and Eric Stehr Cannot Be ReachedA great deal of time was then spent negotiating a settlement so that I would also refrain from using the challenged images in the future, even though they were no longer being used anyway. A layperson might think there was no need to get bogged down in such minutiae. Surely a simple commitment not to use them again could be sufficient. Eric Stehr's (Die Linke) attorney representing him saw things differently, however. Despite the sloppiness regarding the power of attorney, they insisted on a formal cease-and-desist declaration.Since the much-loved Eric Stehr (Die Linke), who fights for social justice, was not present – neither in the courtroom nor with his attorney, who was connected remotely from Düsseldorf – and Eric Stehr (Die Linke) could not be reached by telephone either, a period of 14 days was agreed during which Eric Stehr (Die Linke) can accept the proposed settlement – or reject it. With regard to the costs of the proceedings, it was agreed that Eric Stehr's (Die Linke) legal expenses insurance should cover the costs of his lawyer, who is fighting press freedom and democracy and who wants to tear a hole in the family finances of families of people with disabilities, as well as the court costs. My lawyer's costs are to remain my responsibility. What a gesture of generosity, right? Such a social conscience on the part of this left-wing politician – one could almost compose songs of praise for him! The Ball Is Now in Eric Stehr's CourtEric Stehr (Die Linke) naturally still has the option of rejecting the proposed settlement. In that case, a court decision would be necessary.However, the left-wing politician could also – if he had the courage – have the application filed with the court withdrawn in full and assume all costs that would then still remain (insofar as they are not covered by his legal expenses insurance). After all, he has successfully made it from the delivery room through the lecture hall to the parliamentary chamber – a picture-book career at such a young age. His monthly parliamentary allowance should certainly be able to absorb any costs he might have to cover. The Big Question: Social Justice or Empty Rhetoric?The question, then, is whether Eric Stehr is serious about his pursuit of social balance and justice, his fight against poverty and his advocacy for people with disabilities, or whether these proceedings demonstrate that he gives his personal sensitivities vastly higher priority and that, ultimately, democracy, press freedom, as well as families and people with disabilities, simply do not matter to him at all.So far, Eric Stehr (Die Linke) has joined the ranks of those super-great politicians from CDU, SPD, the Greens and FDP who initiate criminal proceedings against critics and send cease-and-desist lawyers into action. Despite his young age, Eric Stehr (Die Linke) has apparently already mastered this part of the “political trade” very well. Every Euro Helps: Bürgerstimme Needs SupportI hereby once again call for donations to support me in my fight against the much-loved Eric Stehr (Die Linke).The website buergerstimme.net does not even remotely generate enough revenue to cover the costs that the allegedly socially-minded left-wing politician Eric Stehr has caused through his lawyer. Every euro helps! Thank you in advance!
Support me and Bürgerstimme in this legal dispute with voluntary contributions (donations):
via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/evovi/12 or by bank transfer IBAN: IE55SUMU99036510275719 BIC: SUMUIE22XXX Account holder: Michael Thurm Author: AI-Translation - Michael Thurm | |
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