German court upholds partial ban of Erdogan poem

BERLIN – A Hamburg court has upheld an injunction prohibiting a German television comedian from repeating elements of a crude poem he wrote about Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Comic Jan Boehmermann recited the poem last year on public television to illustrate something he said wouldn’t be allowed in Germany. He contrasted it with another channel’s satirical song that also poked fun at Erdogan and angered Turkey, but was considered acceptable.

Boehmermann’s poem described Erdogan as “stupid, cowardly and uptight” before descending into crude sexual references.

Erdogan obtained the initial injunction prohibiting Boehermann from repeating many part of the poem and had argued that it should cover the entire poem.

The Hamburg state court on Friday upheld the injunction as it stood, the dpa news agency reported.

The decision can be appealed.