German Carnival vs. the Kremlin: Jacques Tilly Responds to Russian Trial with New Figures

This year's Rosenmontag celebrations in the Rhineland metropolises were marked by political tension and uncompromising satire. The most attention was drawn by Jacques Tilly, the famous carnival float designer from Düsseldorf, who has been in the crosshairs of the Russian justice system for months. A Russian court accuses him of insulting state bodies and the armed forces, for which he faces up to ten years in prison under the local legal system. The trial, which is being held in absentia, is set to resume on February 26. Tilly responded to these actions in his unique style, constructing a float depicting a gigantic, menacing Vladimir Putin stabbing a small carnival jester with a sword. This jester, representing the artist's alter ego, parries the attack using only a paper flap, symbolizing the struggle of free speech against the oppressive state apparatus. As Tilly himself stated, it is a "duel with very unequal weapons," where paper satire faces off against the repressive machinery of the Kremlin. In addition, other motifs appeared on the city's streets, including Donald Trump in an ambiguous alliance with the Russian leader. The tradition of political floats in Düsseldorf dates back to the post-war period, when carnival became a safety valve for criticism of power. Since 1984, Jacques Tilly has pushed the boundaries of this freedom, turning the Rhineland parade into a global event. While Düsseldorf opted for confrontation, the carnival committees in Cologne and Mainz showed greater restraint, this year refraining from direct depictions of Putin on official floats. This sparked a debate about the limits of self-censorship, although Cologne organizers expressed solidarity with Tilly through other gestures, such as posters promoting creative freedom carried by the Blau-Gelbes Kreuz group. Despite freezing weather, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of German cities, and the traditional Zoch in Cologne stretched for seven kilometers. „This is a duel with very unequal weapons. On one side, the sharp weapons of the Russian state; on the other, our satire, which is only made of paper and does not kill.” — Jacques Tilly 10 years — the prison sentence Tilly faces in the Moscow court trial The remaining platforms focused on Germany's internal affairs and the upcoming elections in the USA. Satirists did not spare opposition leaders such as Friedrich Merz or the controversial actions of the AfD party. The entire event showed that the German carnival remains one of the few places where political correctness gives way to ruthless commentary on reality, even in the face of real criminal threats from external powers.