After 7 years, the conflict surrounding German YouTuber Rainer “Drachenlord” Winkler (32) has escalated. A court in Nuremberg has sentenced him to two years in prison for dangerous bodily harm and other offenses. While Winkler perceives the verdict as unjust, claiming he only defended himself, others comment on the ruling with scorn and mockery. They view Winkler’s life as a mix between a reality show and a game, the “Dragon Game”.
This is the conflict:
- The YouTuber Drachenlord initially talked about all sorts of things at the start of his career, using a strong dialect, often provocatively, hurtfully, and thoughtlessly. This attracted a group of people who openly mocked him.
- When one of these “haters” threatened to publicly reveal his address in 2014, Drachenlord preempted him: Winkler published the address himself and invited people to come to his home.
- Over the next 7 years, the “Dragon Game” developed – people from all over Germany traveled to Drachenlord, provoking and harassing him. The situation outside his home escalated more frequently. According to the police, they had to intervene several times daily. It became a burden for the entire town.
For this, he has now been convicted: The court in Nuremberg found it proven that the 32-year-old had struck a man in the forehead with a flashlight, among other offenses. Additionally, he threw a stone at another person and insulted police officers.
Winkler had already been convicted in 2019 for a pepper spray attack, receiving 7 months’ probation. Some of the offenses for which he is now charged were committed during the probation period.
The public prosecutor’s office had demanded two years and 6 months in prison. His defense attorney argued for a probation sentence of a maximum of two years and a fine.
The judge decided on two years in prison and rejected a dual probation. The verdict is not yet final.
YouTuber feels the prison sentence is unjust, claims he only defended himself
This is how Drachenlord reacts to the verdict: In a 15-minute video, the YouTuber addresses his situation (via youtube). He perceives the verdict as unjust. He asserts that he is under immense psychological pressure, constantly physically and verbally attacked by his haters. From his perspective, he only defended himself against people who had trespassed on his property and insulted him.
He also states: He could not fulfill the community service hours imposed on him because no organization wanted him to perform the court-mandated community service with them. They feared the “media uproar”.
Drachenlord now plans to turn his life around. He has sold his house and intends to limit his YouTube activities.
“It was a nice season finale, thanks to everyone”
This is how the case is commented on by the “haters”: Under the YouTube video, there are several comments that make it clear that they see the
