Caritas Berlin and Campact implement measures regarding political symbolism

Caritas Gesundheit Berlin has issued internal guidelines prohibiting the use of the blue heart emoji (💙) in official communications. The organization stated that the emoji could be “politically misunderstood” in the German social media context, as the color blue is frequently used by supporters of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a subtle identifier. The guidelines suggest that while emojis can make posts more friendly, they should be used sparingly to avoid political, sexual, or discriminatory misinterpretations.

In a related development regarding political influence on media, the campaign organization Campact has compiled a list of YouTube channels categorized by their perceived political leanings, ranging from “AfD-adjacent” to “right-wing extremist.” Campact is actively pressuring companies to join an advertising boycott against these listed channels. The organization has sent letters to businesses requesting reports on whether they will comply with the boycott, and has published the names of companies that have agreed to participate.