GERMANY LAUNCHES MAJOR OPERATION TARGETING HATE SPEECH ON THE WEB

Wed 25 June 2025:

Police in Germany have launched a nationwide operation targeting suspected authors of online hate speech and incitement, according to information obtained by dpa.

More than 170 operations are planned, coordinated by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).

The suspects are accused of incitement to hatred and insulting politicians, among other things.

The investigations focus on far-right statements made online. Many cases also involve criminal insults against politicians, with fewer cases concerning extremist religious or far-left postings.

Herbert Reul, the interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, said it is important that perpetrators are uncovered.

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“Digital arsonists must not be allowed to hide behind their phones or computers,” Reul told dpa. Fourteen of the approximately 130 nationwide investigations part of Wednesday’s action against hate postings are in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Germany also is facing a sharp rise in racist discrimination, with new official figures showing that the number of reported cases has more than tripled since 2019.

The Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency received a record 11,405 complaints in 2024, marking the highest total since its founding, Anadolu news agency reported.

According to the agency’s annual report, presented in Berlin by its commissioner, Ferda Ataman, 3,858 of those cases were related to racism, antisemitism, or ethnic origin—up from just 1,167 in 2019.

“We have a serious racism problem,” Ataman told reporters, adding, “Millions of people are more concerned about their safety than ever before.”

The data paints a stark picture of discrimination across various aspects of daily life.

More than 3,000 cases related to the job market, while hundreds involved public institutions, schools, healthcare, housing, and even the police and judiciary.

Discrimination based on disability ranked second in the 2024 report, with 2,476 complaints, followed by gender (2,133), age (1,091), and religion or worldview (626).

One in three people in Germany say they have experienced discrimination, according to external studies cited in the report.

Women face particular challenges in the workplace, and migrants have reported verbal abuse, including threats of deportation and indifference to hate symbols in schools.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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