RBB distances itself from 'El Hotzo' in Trump-post
Social-Media-Personality "El Hotzo" expresses regret in a X-post that Donald Trump survived the attack. FDP-Politician Wolfgang Kubicki calls for legal consequences, his employer distances itself. The author himself remains defiant.
With provocative posts on platform X, the author and podcaster Sebastian Hotz, better known by his pseudonym "El Hotzo," has made a name for himself. For statements regarding the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, which the former US President barely survived, Hotz now faced a backlash. Hotz had written in a now-deleted X post that Trump and "the last bus" had something in common. His response: "Unfortunately, he just missed it."
In another post, Hotz wrote, "I find it absolutely fantastic when fascists die." This post was also deleted, and on his account, the following justification can be found: "Absolutely no one forces you to have sympathy for fascists, you can simply let it go without any consequences."
For expressing regret over Trump's survival, Hotz received considerable opposition. "I assume that the prosecution will deal with this tweet," Bundestag Vice-President Wolfgang Kubicki wrote in response to a screenshot of the deleted tweets. Public approval of serious crimes is itself punishable.
Hotz "no employee of ZDF"
There was a claim on X that Hotz worked as a gag writer for the ZDF Magazin Royal, hosted by Jan Böhmermann. In response to an inquiry from the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," the broadcaster stated that Hotz "is no employee of the ZDF." He had only "temporarily worked as a freelance author for ZDF Magazin Royal." Statements on his Social Media accounts were "in no way related to the ZDF."
On X, "El Hotzo" has nearly 700,000 followers. The 28-year-old also earns a living as a podcaster and has appeared in several television shows. Last year, his debut novel was published.
On Radio Fritz, a public-service broadcaster, Hotz co-hosts the monthly radio show "Theoretisch cool" with author Ilona Hartmann. The show airs on the RBB. In response to an inquiry from the "Tagesspiegel," the RBB stated: "The quoted posts are disrespectful and contradict the values of the RBB. Such statements would not have a place in our shows." They are now trying to contact Hotz and will speak with him. "Then we will decide on further action."
Despite the backlash, International social networks continue to be a platform for controversial figures like "El Hotzo." The assault on Donald Trump sparked numerous debates and attempts to regulate content on these networks. In light of Hotz's remarks, calls for stricter regulations on social media platforms have intensified.
