Manoj Subramaniam, among other things, painted swastikas onto his property and claimed he was being subjected to sustained harassment by far-right extremists.
An appeal against the fine imposed on a German Green party politician who embarked on faking a long-running allegation of harassment against him by far-right extremists has been dismissed by a German court.
Manoj Subramaniam, a 33-year-old former local Green councilor in the German town of Erkelenz, alleged last July he had been subjected to sustained acts of harassment by anonymous right-wing extremists. He showed police evidence of the abuse he had received, which included a threatening letter with a razor blade inserted and a swastika drawn onto his vehicle in red paint.
The case made national headlines last year with several prominent politicians offering their solidarity with Subramaniam for the abuse he had received.
“Right-wing extremists are threatening political volunteers to silence them. Thank you, Manoj Subramaniam, for not being silent and raising your voice,” stated Lamya Kaddor, a member of the Bundestag.
Federal police took protective measures for the politician’s safety, and an intensive investigation was initiated by state security, all at considerable cost to the taxpayer. The only issue, however, was that Subramaniam had made it all up.