German Military Now Permitted to Use Force within Germany
 

And so it begins.

http://www.dw.de/image/0,,15927310_401,00.jpg
Military

Constitutional court allows use of weapons on home soil

Germany’s top court has ruled that, in exceptional circumstances, the country's armed forces may use military fighting equipment on German soil. Though it stressed that the rule only applied in major emergencies.
The Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe ruled on Friday that the German Bundeswehr would be allowed to use military weaponry within the country's own borders.
The decision was reached at a full meeting of all the court judges and permits the use of weapons only in the most extreme circumstances.
It ruled that forces could be deployed under strict conditions, in case of an attack on the country with the potential for scores of casualties.
The judges ruled that troops could be mobilized only in "states of emergency of catastrophic proportions," but never "in reaction to the threat posed by demonstrating crowds."

The ruling would still not allow planes hijacked by terrorists to be shot down, but it would allow warning shots designed to force planes to land.
In the case of the authorized use combat weapons by troops deployed during a national disaster, the court ruled that such decisions would have to be taken by the "government as a whole," rather than the defense minister alone.
The decision of all the judges was necessary after one group of judges, the Second Senate, had said it wanted to allow the military to be allowed to help individual German states.
The ruling reverses a decision by the court in 2006 and came in response to complaints by the states of Bavaria and Hesse.
The 2006 judgment cited constitutional restrictions on the use of the military in light of abuses and atrocities committed by German troops during the Nazi era.

http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16174023,00.html

Ach du meine gute!

Gotta make it legal first. Ain't theft if you call it taxation, ain't murder if its called war or "struggle against domestic terrorists"....................

Germany’s top court has ruled that, in exceptional circumstances, the country's armed forces may use military fighting equipment on German soil. Though it stressed that the rule only applied in major emergencies.


So who gets to define what a "emergency" is?

The ruling would still not allow planes hijacked by terrorists to be shot down, but it would allow warning shots designed to force planes to land. Unbelievably retarded. A "warning" shot without the ability to follow up with a lethal shot is no warning at all... just ignore it and keep on flying! http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...s/rolleyes.gif

Reminds me of the old British policeman joke: "Stop! Or I'll yell "Stop" again!" http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/grin.gif

du bist ein un fowler hunt !

didnt the USA beat germany to the draw . if i am right we already have this here