Bavarian Wildlife Killers: State Forest Service Terrorizes Animal Rights Activist
Animal rights activist Elisa Liebl is accused of having violated the personal rights and honor of a hunter by referring to all Bavarian wildlife killers participating in a driven hunt as murderers. This stems from her naming a video of a demonstration against driven hunting in Bavaria as follows: “Hunters deny being murderers – Demo against driven hunt near Emmerting”.
Animal rights activist Elisa Liebl is accused of having violated the personal rights and honor of a recreational hunter by referring to all Bavarian wildlife killers participating in a driven hunt as murderers. This stems from her naming a video of a demonstration against driven hunting in Bavaria as follows: «Recreational hunters deny being murderers – Demo against driven hunt near Emmerting».
On 18 December 2019, the demonstrator filmed a discussion with a recreational hunter prior to the tiresome hobby hunt and posted this video online without pixelating faces — something that should not be a problem under §23 of the Copyright Act.
A recreational hunter felt that his personal honor had been violated and engaged his lawyer — despite the fact that the recreational hunter was never shown alone in the video. The judge and the recreational hunter’s attorney are siding with the recreational hunter and are now attempting to take action against the animal rights activist and punish her for something that is not actually prohibited under the law.
After all, freedom of expression prevails in Germany. But this apparently does not apply when it occurs in connection with recreational hunters and a driven hunt. The judge even rejected the application for legal aid on the grounds that the activist had no chance of winning the case.
The law should rightfully be on Elisa Liebl’s side!
- Copyright law on artistic works: Filming is permitted at public gatherings such as demonstrations. The public interest outweighs the applicant's interest in protecting their image.
- Basic Law on freedom of opinion and freedom of the press: Everyone has the right to freely express and disseminate their opinions in words, writing, and images, and to inform themselves from generally accessible sources without hindrance.
But many judges are also recreational hunters and bend the laws to suit their own needs!
«Bavarian wildlife killers who take part in a driven hunt, battue, or chase hunt must stand by their actions and accept being called murderers by society,» says Elisa Liebl.
A professional hunter from BaySF speaks out
The filmed recreational hunter works for the company Bavarian State Forests at the Wasserburg forestry operation as a forestry master. He is currently training 8 young people as foresters. The Bavarian wildlife killer claims he has responsibility, a role-model function, and a duty of care toward his apprentices.
What the Bavarian State Forests operate, however, can hardly be described as exemplary. It is more about shooting as many animals as possible in order to extract maximum profit from the forest, explains Elisa Liebl. «In doing so, they forget that the forest belongs to all of us — humans and animals alike — and that everyone has the right to enter it unharmed.»
«At that time, Jörg Finze had no idea that in the years to come he would witness an unspeakable and brutal hunting practice, that he would break his own ethical standards and cross legal boundaries. In 2019, he turned his back on the Free State, with the wish never to have to be a professional hunter again.»
Jörg Finze
The following link reveals only the tip of the iceberg of what is being covered up and concealed within the BaySF company.
Regardless of animal welfare legislation, recreational hunters commit appalling acts of animal cruelty away from public scrutiny. During driven and battue hunts, the wild animals are thrown into mortal terror by beaters and their dogs and driven in front of the hunters' guns. Only a few manage to hit the animals running for their lives with the first shot. It is not without reason that hunters' jargon includes the term “Nachsuche” (tracking down wounded game) for animals that have been shot and injured. According to the Veterinary Association for Animal Welfare, up to 70 percent of wild animals — particularly during battue hunts — do not die immediately. With shattered bones and entrails hanging out, the animals flee, often suffering for days and dying an agonizing death. More on the hunting myths at wildbeimwild.com.
The court date and a petition
Witnesses are being sought who can testify about the battue hunt on 28.12.19, in order to prove that it was not a battue hunt but a driven hunt or coursing hunt, both of which are prohibited for roe deer.
The activist received a temporary injunction on 13.01.20. She faces a fine of up to 250’000 € or 6 months’ detention should she continue to publish anything about the battue hunt (driven hunt) on 28.12.2019 in connection with images of the recreational hunter. In addition, she was to have paid the legal costs and compensation for damages.
On 27.1.20 she received the associated court order — however, without a judge's signature. She filed an objection against it.
On 10.2.20, the protester was threatened with punitive measures. While she had reported once more on the hobby hunt, she had never used the recreational hunter's name or his photo.
Court hearing at the Landgericht Traunstein, Herzog-Otto-Str. 1, in courtroom B40, ground floor, on 18.6.2020 at 11:30.
More on the subject of recreational hunting: In the dossier Poaching and hunting crime in Switzerland we document cases, legal questions and recurring patterns. The scientific evidence is presented in the overview Studies on the Effects of Recreational Hunting.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
