Last year, 10,619 cases of online hate crime were reported in Bavaria. On average, there are 29 reports per day to the “REspect!” reporting center. with reference to Bavaria, the Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday in Munich. The senders reported, among other things, incitement to hatred, insults and slander. For comparison: From July 2022 to the end of December 2022, the reporting office received 1,297 reports related to Bavaria, 47 cases of which were forwarded to the law enforcement authorities because there was suspicion of criminal activity.
“Hate and agitation have now reached a frightening level. The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel have given hatred and agitation a new, dangerous breeding ground,” said Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich. Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (both CSU) emphasized that every indication of criminal agitation would be consistently investigated in order to punish perpetrators immediately and deter other potential agitators. Of the reports from last year, 852 have already been forwarded to law enforcement authorities. According to the reporting office’s assessment, the remaining cases do not involve criminal offenses.
The reporting option has been available to all citizens since July 2022. It was launched as a cooperation between the Bavarian Ministry of Justice, the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior, the Bavarian Ministry of Social Affairs and the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Social Affairs. Reporting and advice is simple and unbureaucratic and is accessible to everyone. “The Internet is not a lawless space in which hatred and agitation can be stirred up. We are actively taking action against it and will not tolerate such behavior,” said Bavaria’s Social Affairs Minister Ulrike Scharf (CSU).