Merz: Putin “may be the most serious war criminal of our time”
euromaidanpress.com
Chancellor Friedrich Merz declared that dealing with war criminals requires zero tolerance, specifically targeting Russian President Putin as potentially the current era's worst offender
  • biofaust@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    12 days ago

    I may be applying a stereotype, but having a German calling someone “serious” could, if anything, even sound like a compliment.

    What does it even mean? A “serious crisis” or a “serious medical condition” is a negatively charged, but not “serious criminal”.

    Arséne Lupin is a serious criminal and that’s a compliment. I am VERY curious about the choice of words.

    Also @talkingpumpkin@lemmy.world is right, if this is a ranking, it is pointless if not counterproductive.

    • tomi000@lemmy.worldEnglish
      0·
      12 days ago
      1. Its translated
      2. Merz doesnt speak English well enough to make such a nuanced comment
    • remon@ani.socialEnglish
      0·
      12 days ago

      The original quote is “den vielleicht schwersten Kriegsverbrecher unserer Zeit”.

      I think “most severe war criminial” would be a better translation.