(LifeSiteNews) — German authorities conducted more than 180 operations across the country, targeting individuals accused of spreading hate and incitement online – most of them tied to content considered far-right.
Tagesspiegel reports that the Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt, or BKA) announced that more than 65 search warrants were executed, and many suspects questioned in connection with over 140 investigations.
The “Day of Action against Hate and Incitement Online,” coordinated by the BKA alongside state law enforcement agencies, is the twelfth such operation aimed at curbing illegal speech on the internet.
Prosecutors allege that many of the posts included criminal incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung), insults against public figures, and the use of banned symbols linked to “unconstitutional or terrorist organisations.” Some suspects are also accused of endorsing or glorifying criminal acts.
According to the BKA, roughly two-thirds of the offending content came from purportedly far-right sources. One case cited involved a user on X (formerly Twitter) who allegedly posted: “Heil Hitler!! Once again. We are Germans and a successful nation. Male foreigners out.”
North Rhine-Westphalia Interior Minister Herbert Reul warned that “digital arsonists” must not be allowed to “hide behind their mobile phones or computers,” calling for clearer public awareness of the line between opinion and hate.
Reported incidents have risen sharply in recent years. The BKA noted that between 2021 and 2024, police-registered hate speech cases more than quadrupled, reaching 10,732. Officials attribute the surge to both a rise in offensive content and better reporting mechanisms via the Central Reporting Office for Criminal Content on the Internet (ZMI).
The German government’s coalition agreement includes plans for a “Digital Protection Against Violence Act,” which would facilitate the blocking of anonymous accounts and require platforms to give law enforcement access to relevant data.
Groups such as HateAid argue these measures are overdue, criticizing platforms like X and Facebook for ignoring too many user reports.
Claudia Otte-Galle, a social worker from HateAid, claimed that online threats affect “all sections of society” and can escalate into physical violence. In some cases, victims have suffered reputational damage, mental health issues, or even been forced to relocate.
Police are urging the public to report hate posts and demand takedowns from social media providers.
Meanwhile, separate figures reported by the state-funded Deutsche Welle show that violent crime in Germany, including rape and sexual assault, has reached its highest level since 2007. Over a third of suspects, it noted, were non-German nationals.
BKA chief Holger Münch attributed the trend in part to “a high proportion of young men among foreigners,” and stressed that “migration management is enormously important in order to be able to control this problem at all.”
