(de-news.net) – The President of the German Firefighting Association, Karl-Heinz Banse, has advocated for more severe penalties against onlookers at accident scenes. He argued that despite new legislation criminalizing the recording of accident victims, such incidents continued to pose persistent challenges to emergency personnel. Banse proposed revoking driving licenses for individuals who obstruct rescue operations, considering this a more effective deterrent than fines.

Both the CDU/CSU and SPD parliamentary factions support this proposition. In media reports, CDU/CSU legal spokesperson Susanne Hierl was quoted emphasizing the life-threatening nature of gawking behavior and underlined the necessity of implementing license revocation as a tangible consequence. She asserted the state’s duty to protect victims and deny voyeuristic bystanders a platform.

Similarly, SPD’s parliamentary legal counsel, Johannes Fechner, highlighted that interfering with emergency services or recording victims constituted criminal behavior, potentially warranting driving bans or license withdrawals. He encouraged the coalition to explore broader applications of such measures within forthcoming legislation aimed at safeguarding police and emergency personnel.