Ep. 206: CJ Hopkins compared modern Germany to Nazi Germany. Now he’s standing trial.

from So to Speak: The Free Speech Podcast

by FIRE

Published: Thu Feb 15 2024

Show Notes

J Hopkins is an American playwright, novelist, and political satirist. He moved to Germany in 2004.He publishes a self-titled blog on Substack and is the editor of Consent Factory Publishing.

CJ’s most recent book, “The Rise of the New Normal Reich,” draws a parallel between Nazi Germany and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2022,it was banned on Amazon in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. In the months that followed, CJ was charged by German authorities with violating a section of the German penal code that prohibits “disseminating information, the intention of which is to further the aims of a former National-Socialist organization [the Nazis].” He was recently acquitted, but the prosecutor chose to appeal the decision.

In the coming months, CJ will stand trial — again — for a crime he claims he didn’t commit and for which he has already been acquitted.

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Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

2:58 Who is CJ Hopkins?

9:35 CJ moves to Germany

CJ’s work since 2004

Berlin in 2020

“The Rise of the New Normal Reich”

CJ’s book banned in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands

German investigation

German sensitivities to Nazism

Why didn’t CJ just pay the fine?

CJ goes to trial