It is official, the word Klimaterroristen (climate terrorists) is the German Unwort des Jahres (non-word of the year) 2022.
The term “climate terrorists” has been used in public-political discourse to refer to individuals who advocate for the implementation of climate protection measures and the achievement of the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement. The term has been used to discredit activists and their protest.
An international committee of linguists (Sprachwissenschaftler) that selects the annual non-word criticizes the use of the term because it equates climate activists with terrorists and thus criminalizes and defames them. Terrorism is understood as the systematic exercise and spreading of fear and terror through radical physical violence. The term suggests that in order to achieve their goals climate activist protest with terrorism, non-violent forms of civil disobedience and democratic resistance.
Note that in contrary a misnomer is simply a word that has been incorrectly used when describing something or someone, while a non-word usually refers to a newly created word with incorrect or unfair connotations.