The two owners of a Christian-themed German YouTube channel are under investigation for blasphemy after they shone a light on Muslim anti-Semitism in Germany in one of their videos.
The content creators who go by the monikers Niko and Tino are the hosts of YouTube channel Eternal Life whose main goal according to the owners is “to glorify our Triune God”. The channel has 1,400 subscribers.
In most videos, the hosts talk to apparently random people on the street about the Bible and various religious topics.
As Christian news agency IDEA reported on April 8, the public prosecutor’s office in Hamburg had already launched a probe for supposed blasphemy pursuant to Art. 166 of the German Criminal Code against Niko in February 2025.
On April 13, news site Apollo reported that his colleague Tino is now also under investigation.
The authorities are accusing the Youtubers of “denigrating a religious community” – as the relevant Article reads. The offence can be punished with up to three years in prison.
In December 2024, Niko and Tino published a video titled “Islam is no peace”. It was reportedly influenced by violent pro-Palestinian protests in Germany after the Islamist massacres against Israelis of October 7.
While the video has since been deleted – and rated as “dangerous” by YouTube – Apollo received a copy from Niko and Tino and published a transcript.
The creators say:
“We have the year 2024, and anti-Semitism is once again officially allowed in Germany. Palestinians are committed to the extermination of the Jews, as dictated by the Hadith.”
The Hadith is a collection of the supposed teachings of the prophet Mohammed.
Niko and Tino then quote from the Hadith: “The Hour will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and the Muslims kill them until the Jews hide behind a tree or a rock.” This slogan also is quoted by radical Islamist terror organisation Hamas in its founding charter.
The creators add: “Hatred of Jews – the belief that Jews should be killed, that it is permissible to kill Jews – is a demonic spirit and does not come from God. … Islam and the message behind it bring nothing but hatred, power and murder. This religion offers no peace, no joy and no life. They are fighting for a dead message and a dead God.”
As the Hamburg prosecutor’s office told IDEA the investigation is still under way.
Niko’s lawyer, Marco Winger, said he had demanded an end to the proceedings, arguing that his client’s intention was not to incite hatred, but to defend his Christian faith. Furthermore, the lawyer pointed out that the issue of Islamic anti-Semitism is even publicly addressed by German state bodies, such as the Federal Agency for Civic Education (BPB). The video thus did not constitute a disturbance of the public peace – a prerequisite for a conviction under Art. 166.
Tino told Apollo he saw the proceedings as a limitation to freedom of speech:
“I do not understand what they want to investigate. … People should not have to be afraid to speak their minds and profess their faith in Jesus Christ.”
