Internet

Nation-wide police action against hate speech on the Internet

In the fight against the proliferation of hate comments on the net there were in almost all of the länder. The criminal law also applies in the Internet, emphasized the Minister de Maizière and Maas unanimously.

Police RAID (Archive Image)

The first large-scale RAID of this kind by police officers were looking for in 14 provinces apartments of about 60 accused. The the the action for the coordination responsible for the Federal criminal police office (BKA) said in Wiesbaden. The aim was to counter the increasing “Verbal radicalism” and the related offenses in the network are determined. The supposed anonymity in the network, leave the inhibitions when Writing hate Postings where people are threatened, insulted, or blackmailed, to fall.

Incitement to hatred on the Internet

The focus of a criminal investigation of the Prosecutor of Kempten according to information from the Bavarian Ministry of the interior. In a non-public Facebook group, the national socialism had on for months is glorified, and hate Postings offences such as sedition has been committed. In addition, xenophobic, anti-Semitic, or other right had been spread extremist content. Alone in connection with this procedure, there had been in 13 States, 40 the accused. Fixed, nothing was known.

In December, the Federal government had been established in-country project group “fighting hate Postings”. With the nationwide action should be sensitized according to the BKA, also for dealing with right-wing Comments in social networks.

BKA-chief Münch

BKA President Holger Münch, said that “today’s action makes it clear that The police authorities of the German Federal and state governments decisively against hate and incitement on the Internet.” Hate crime on the Internet have also increased in the Wake of the refugee crisis. “The hate crime in the network must not poison the social climate,” said Münch. Attacks on refugee accommodation are often the result of a radicalization that begin in social networks: “We have to be subject to a brutalization of the language that amends the criminal content in the network.”

Minister for home Affairs and justice agreed

Federal Minister of the interior Thomas de Maizière (CDU) said, the linguistic violence in any Form and in any context, should not be accepted. There are moral principles – “online and offline”. “Those who violate these principles has led to unbearable and with underground level, preparing at the same time, the mood of the ground for real violence.” The criminal law was also applicable on the Internet. The Federal Minister of justice Heiko Maas (SPD) stressed: “The Internet is not a law-free zone”. For racism and xenophobia should be “in social media as little space as on the road”. The authors of hate Postings to severe penalties threatened “”.

qu/fab (dpa, afp, epd)