Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein Daniel Günther (CDU) By Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2024-10-24_Politik,_Ministerpr%C3%A4sidentenkonferenz_2024_Leipzig_STP_8034_by_Stepro.jpg The debate in Germany over freedom of expression has intensified after remarks by Daniel Günther, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) prime minister of Schleswig-Holstein, triggered a political backlash across the country. Speaking on the ZDF channel on January 7th, Günther called for far tougher regulation of media outlets and social networks that are “opponents and enemies of democracy”—ie. publications that do not align with his world view. Warning that Germany’s political system would be “unrecognisable in ten years” if such “excesses” were not tackled, he openly entertained the idea of censorship and bans. Among his proposals were a ban on social media access for under-16s, and he also attacked alternative media outlets, singling out the right-wing portal …