The young religious leader, Lothar König, from Jena, has passed away.
A well-known and frequently debated figure in German society has passed away: Lothar König, who served as the city youth pastor of Jena before turning 70, has allegedly died according to his family. König was more than just a clergyman and a father. As per his family's statement, he was a confidant, an adversary, a crusader, and someone who enjoyed discussing, reminiscing, joking, and drinking with people late into the night. His life was dedicated to striving for a better world, never wavering in his unwavering optimism despite facing numerous obstacles.
Born in 1954, in the present-day Nordhausen district, König led protests on Mondays in the GDR during the transitional period in Merseburg. He led the Youth Community in Jena's city center from 1990 to 2019, and he passionately fought against right-wing extremism not just in Jena, but across Germany. In 1997, he suffered a severe head injury from a metal pipe, leaving a noticeable scar. Over the years, he also received numerous death threats. König was an eyewitness to the right-wing extremist movement's escalation in Jena during the 1990s, from which the core trio of the "National Socialist Underground" (NSU) later emerged.
Trial Against König: Misleading Testimonies and Legal Errors
König garnered national attention, especially in the early 2010s. After participating in a demonstration against right-wing extremists in Dresden in 2011, he was charged with serious disturbance of the peace by the Dresden public prosecutor's office. They alleged that he had incited violence against police officers through a loudspeaker during the annual neo-Nazi march commemorating the destruction of Dresden in World War II. However, misleading testimonies and serious errors or legal infringements in the indictment were discovered, leading to the proceedings being discontinued in 2014. According to the Christian media magazine "Pro," König was ordered to pay €3,000 as a result. In 2017, König's community offered refuge and church asylum to five Syrian and Afghan refugees in their premises, as reported by the magazine further.
In their family's statement, it was stated that König often put himself in harm's way with his behavior. "Until his very last day, he remained a soccer fan, a punk, and a 'long-haired' person, whose unyielding desire for freedom continuously guided his path." The band Feine Sahne Fischfilet, renowned for their fight against right-wing extremism, paid tribute to König on Instagram with a detailed eulogy. Among other things, it acknowledged that he always inspired people to never lose hope.
Lothar König's activism against right-wing extremism extended beyond Jena, as he also participated in protests in Dresden. (Dresden is mentioned)In the trial against König in 2011, misleading testimonies and legal errors led to the discontinuation of the proceedings. (Dresden is not directly mentioned, but the trial took place in Dresden)
