crime
Nationwide police actions to combat hate postings
In the fight against hate postings on the Internet, there were several searches as part of a nationwide day of action. photo
© Lukas Schulze/dpa
The number of hate postings registered by the police online has recently fallen slightly. But no reason for the all-clear. The interior minister warns that hatred and hate speech endanger democracy.
The police took action nationwide on Wednesday against authors of criminal hate messages on the Internet. As part of a day of action to combat hate postings, police authorities in 14 federal states have carried out more than 90 police measures since the morning hours, including house searches and interrogations, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). According to the Federal Ministry of the Interior, the accused are accused of making criminal offenses, threats, coercion or incitement to hatred online.
Such requests are criminal offenses punishable by up to five years in prison. “Hate and hate speech on the Internet endanger our democracy and prepare the breeding ground for extremist violence,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD). You have to show clear limits here and get perpetrators out of their supposed anonymity.
Recently, the number of cases of hate postings recorded by the police has decreased, the BKA said. According to this, 2411 cases were recorded in 2021, a drop of 7.5 percent compared to the year before. But this is no reason to give the all-clear, it said. Many criminally relevant posts would not be displayed, but only reported to the network operators. Others were voiced in closed forums and discussion groups and thus went unnoticed by law enforcement agencies. “In this respect, a large number of unreported cases can be assumed.”
At the same time, the BKA called for a report to the police if you come across hate postings online or if you are a victim yourself. In some federal states there are Internet portals through which such crimes can also be reported anonymously. Hate postings should also be reported to social network providers.
BKA press release overview of online guards