After German police conducted a coordinated raid of the homes of over 50 people, it has been revealed that the government can legally arrest and charge anyone suspected of engaging in online speech that is deemed hateful or racist.
Germany goes a step further by not only prosecuting those who write or post hate content but also anybody who engages with it by sharing, liking, or reposting it.
It all came to limelight with the CBS covering heavily armed officers raiding the homes of several people suspected to have engaged in online hate speech. The raid happened in the early morning of a Tuesday (the exact date was not given).
The particular event covered by CBS was done in an apartment in NorthWest Germany. After identifying themselves, the law enforcement agents seized the suspect’s laptop computer and mobile phone.
The person was accused of the crime of posting a racist cartoon online.
While the German authorities say the raids were targeted at curbing online hate speech, the question of what constitutes hate speech and the infringement on the rights to free speech is up for debate.
German authorities say its constitution strongly upholds free speech, just that any speech that incites hatred or deemed to be insulting such as malicious scandals, threats, and fake quotes are categorized as hate speech, which is illegal and is punishable by fine, forfeiture of the device or imprisonment especially for repeat offenders.
Germany raiding hate speech violators is not new. In March 2024, 45 people from 11 states were questioned for Misogynistic social posts. Women were also encouraged to report offenders.
However, Germans are not happy with the law which they believe largely favors illegal migrants and have accused the Government of being very lenient with the atrocities they commit.
News of Germany siding illegal migrants against its own citizens gained more grounds after a woman received more prison sentences for insulting some migrants who were standing trial for gangraping a girl.
In another instance, a man was heavily fined for trespassing after he set up a Christmas tree in a kids’ center against the management’s wish. The kindergarten did not want the Christian festive decoration set up to protect the feelings of other kids – an act many interpreted as trying to protect the feelings of migrants from Islamic countries.
The German law is a sharp contrast to what is practiced in the United States where online trolls and direct insults from the President to the commoner are normal on social media, especially X, formerly Twitter.
