Four Months Probation for Chancellor Slap

A German court has sentenced an unemployed teacher, who slapped German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder in the face earlier this year, to four months probation. The Mannheim court convicted 52-year-old Jens Ammoser of bodily harm and defamation. "Expressing political dissatisfaction by attacking the physical integrity of a government body cannot be accepted," said Judge Wolfgang Winkler in his ruling. Ammoser testified that he attacked Schröder because he was angry about cuts in social programs. Before the hearing, he handed out press kits with jokes about the Chancellor. Once inside the courtroom, Ammoser placed a toy red devil on his table as a good-luck charm. Schröder was not injured in the incident, which occurred in May when he was signing autographs at a campaign rally staged by his Social Democrats (SPD) in Mannheim.