(MENAFN) German police carried out an early-morning search of the home of a 45-year-old healthcare worker after he referred to civil servants as "parasites" on social media, a move that has prompted renewed debate over free speech in the country.

The man, known only as M. under national privacy rules, posted on Sept. 29 on X, the US-based social media platform, expressing frustration with Germany’s tax system and individuals whose income comes from the state.

“No, anyone who is financed by the state pays no net taxes; they live off taxes. Every civil servant, every politician, every employee in a state-owned enterprise, anyone who is subsidized and financed by the state. Not a single parasite pays any net taxes.” he wrote in his post.

According to general reports, two officers arrived at his residence in Baden-Württemberg at 6 a.m. on Nov. 13, driving an unmarked vehicle. They presented a warrant based on allegations of “incitement to hatred,” an offense under German law.

The man said police offered him a choice: surrender his phone along with its PIN or undergo a full search of his home. He handed over the device and was then taken to a police station in Göppingen.

There, officers collected his fingerprints and took photographs. "I had to bare my upper body so that a scar from an appendix operation could also be photographed," he told reporters. Police also asked for a blood sample for DNA testing, which he declined, and no sample was ultimately taken.

His attorney, Marcus Pretzell, denounced the police actions as "absurd and illegal," adding that he has not yet been allowed to review the case documents.

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