'Mehrzweckeier': youth word of the year as a protest? Citizens can now vote on it officially. What began as criticism of conscription reform is now aimed at Friedrich Merz. Insult or free speech?
For a week now, people in Germany have been able to submit entries for the Youth Word of the Year (source in German). One term is already standing out: "Mehrzweckeier", the publisher Pons Langenscheidt confirms.
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"Mehrzweckeier" - what is it all about?
The term "Mehrzweckeier" is a play on the slogan "Merz leck Eier". The slogan has been used during the protests against the conscription reform, which have been going on for months.
The words appeared on a placard held by an 18-year-old school pupil who took part in a demonstration against conscription in Berlin in early March. The placard was seized by the police.
A similar incident occurred just a few weeks later at a demonstration in Gießen. The public prosecutor's office in Gießen launched an investigation on initial suspicion of "slander and defamation of persons in public political life".
And it was precisely this response by the judiciary that outraged online users and made the term widely known.
On Instagram, users are posting images bearing "Merz leck Eier". An activist using the name "sacksaftbeats" has renamed several CDU party headquarters "Eierhaus" on Google Maps. A screenshot in his Instagram post shows the message: "161 of your changes are now live".
What began as criticism of the conscription reform has turned into criticism of Friedrich Merz. The chancellor responded in an interview with Der Spiegel: "If you look at what is being spread about me there, how I am attacked and disparaged; no chancellor before me has had to endure anything like this," said Merz.
Now the word "Mehrzweckeier" is being submitted in large numbers as a candidate for Youth Word of the Year 2026. On the platform Reddit (source in German) users have suggested submitting the term.
The comments below the post range from "done" to "I am doing my part".
Conservatives want to tighten section 188
The conservative CDU/CSU bloc now wants to take action by reforming section 188 of the Criminal Code.
Section 188 of criminal law criminalises insults, slander and defamation directed at politicians.
Back in 2021, section 188 was already tightened: the offence of insult was added, carrying a maximum sentence of three years. The reform allows insults against politicians to be prosecuted even if the victim does not file a criminal complaint.
Penalties increasingly frequent
Because of the stricter rule, penalties are now being imposed ever more frequently. Most recently, a man in Baden-Württemberg had to pay almost a month's net salary after calling the chancellor "Lügenfritz" in a Facebook comment.
Another citizen was sentenced by Heilbronn district court to a fine equivalent to 20 daily rates for referring to Merz as a "Lackaffe". After an appeal, the case was dropped in return for a payment.
Freedom of expression or insult?
Are words such as "Lügenfritz" or "Lackaffe" to be regarded as insults, or are they protected free speech? Should such remarks about politicians be punishable, and do politicians need better protection than ordinary citizens? Politicians are divided.
Some in the CDU and CSU have spoken out against tightening section 188. They include CDU general secretary Carsten Linnemann and the parliamentary leader of the conservative bloc, Jens Spahn, according to Der Spiegel. They argue that insults against politicians should once again only be prosecuted if a complaint is filed, as was the case before the 2021 reform.
Green politician Erik Marquardt is also in favour of abolishing section 188. Freedom of expression, he says, must be preserved.
The SPD, by contrast, rejects the abolition of section 188 of the Criminal Code demanded by the conservatives and the AfD. For the party, special protection against insults and defamation in public life is essential.
The SPD's legal affairs spokesperson, Carmen Wegge, points to the number of investigations, which she says has risen from 2,600 in 2025 to 4,500 most recently.
When will the Youth Word of the Year 2026 be announced?
Regardless of the debate, the word "Mehrzweckeier" could still become the Youth Word of the Year 2026. Suggestions will be collected until mid-June, after which a top 10 shortlist will be drawn up at the end of July. The Youth Word 2026 will be announced in the autumn.
