Most of them were for “right-wing incitement.” The problem with this entire enterprise should be obvious, but probably isn’t: nowhere in this article does any German authority explain (and the New York Times of course does not ask) by what criteria they determine that someone is guilty of “hate speech” or “right-wing incitement.” Facebook and Twitter have placed tight clamps on referrals from this website, which went down 90% from both in mid-February 2017 and have never recovered. Clearly they view honest reporting about the nature and magnitude of the jihad threat to be “hate speech.” But is it? Is it really “hate speech” to oppose jihad violence and the oppression of women, non-Muslims, gays and others that is mandated by Sharia?
These raids were an authoritarian undertaking that threatens the freedom of Germans and all free people, and makes the state a tyranny that cannot be questioned, for after all, such questioning would be “hate speech.”
“Germany Raids Homes of 36 People Accused of Hateful Postings Over Social Media,” by David Shimer, New York Times, June 20, 2017:
BERLIN — In a coordinated campaign across 14 states, the German police on Tuesday raided the homes of 36 people accused of hateful postings over social media, including threats, coercion and incitement to racism.
Most of the raids concerned politically motivated right-wing incitement, according to the Federal Criminal Police Office, whose officers conducted home searches and interrogations. But the raids also targeted two people accused of left-wing extremist content, as well as one person accused of making threats or harassment based on someone’s sexual orientation.
“The still high incidence of punishable hate posting shows a need for police action,” Holger Münch, president of the Federal Criminal Police Office, said in a statement. “Our free society must not allow a climate of fear, threat, criminal violence and violence either on the street or on the internet.”
The raids come as Germans are debating the draft of a new social media law aimed at cracking down on hate speech, a measure that an array of experts said was unconstitutional at a parliamentary hearing on Monday.
The measure, championed by Justice Minister Heiko Maas for passage this month, would fine Facebook, Twitter and other outlets up to $53 million (50 million euros) if they failed to remove hate speech and other forms of illegal content.
Under German law, social media users are subject to a range of punishments for posting illegal material, including a prison sentence of up to five years for inciting racial hatred.
Under the draft statute, networks must offer a readily available complaint process for posts that may amount to threats, hate speech, defamation, or incitement to commit a crime, among other offenses.
Social media outlets would have 24 hours to delete “obviously criminal content” and a week to decide on more ambiguous cases. The law, approved by Germany’s cabinet in April, would be enforced with fines of up to $53 million.
According to a recent government study, Facebook deleted just 39 percent of illegal hate speech within 24 hours in January and February, despite signing a code of conduct in 2015 pledging to meet this standard. Twitter deleted just 1 percent.
“We are disappointed by the results,” Klaus Gorny, a Facebook spokesman, said in a statement this year regarding the study. “We have clear rules against hate speech and work hard to keep it off our platform.”…
Angel Gabriel says
I really believe that such tactics ultimately backfire big time.
Instead of “protecting Muslims” and decreasing hatred towards them, these authoritarian tactics create more people who hate Muslims by criminalizing legitimate and justified concern for the jihadist activities and overall bigoted beliefs and behaviors of many Muslims. To be concerned about these issues is perfectly natural. To criminalize natural concern is inhuman and breeds further resentment.
mortimer says
When are the Germans going to wake up and say enough of the nanny state?
Political speech is required when there is a political problem.
Toughen the hell up. Germans have turned into a nation of wimps.
Rufolino says
Angel Gabriel, interesting point and hope you may be right !
Annerkeei says
This is true . Stifling normal human outlets for reigning in racist ,hateful and bigoted behavior by muslims is deleting mans one social control on making the guilty ones responsible for abhorent behavior.
Bill says
This is how the leftists elites are silencing their critics, by the governments having a monopoly on violence to back up false prosecutions. Criticize Islam or the government’s policies support it, and you are fined, imprisoned, or worse. This can only be done because armed police come to get you, take you away, hold you while given a show trial before an elitist judge, and then they ultimately incarcerate you.
This is what Hitler did. This is what Stalin did. This is what Mao did. Now Merkel, Macron and May are doing it. Yes. it is going on in England too. All part of the plan. In the fullness of time, Tommy Robinson and Pat Condell will be rounded up and prosecuted, given a show trial before a Kangaroo Court and then sentenced.
But for President Trump, we would have it full on here in the USA too. We still have though. Witness the new Minneapolis “call in a hate crime hotline”. Yep, just like Staling, let’s get family members, friends and neighbors turning you in. The hotline was worked out in conjunction with Islamic groups in Minnesota.
william says
Replace the term “authoritarian” with “totalitarian” and it all makes perfect sense.
Carolyne says
I agree, Bill, and soon governments will instruct children to turn in their parents just like Stalin and Hitler did.
mortimer says
Angela Merkel and her leftards are stifling opposition to their policies.
john spielman says
MERKEL’S : new brown shirts at work with a redo of the “NIGHT OF THE LONG KNIVES” to get rid of all opposition and consolidate her power!
Santa Voorhees says
What about raiding homes of actual jihadists instead?
Oh wait! I forgot, they are their allies.
ermom says
There’s no ‘free speech’ in the EU, and it’s coming here. Call your Senators AND RUBIO, re Resolution 118:
http://pamelageller.com/2017/06/marco-rubio-submits-terror-tied-sharia-resolution-islamophobia.html/
aDhimmiSaysWhat? says
Ok. I just read that bill. Scary stuff, especially the part about making it easier to report hate crimes. Almost exactly like resolution 569 from a couple of years ago. And this is why I vote for republicans now. They are the only thing standing between us and “hate speech” laws.
PRCS says
Achtung!
Raus! Raus!
Dreckig Ungeziefer!
How did this get so bassackward?
marblenecltr says
Merkel imposes the Global Shadow Masters’ Shadow Constitution for Germany for the sake of the New Marxist World Order. The Bilderberg Meeting for 2017 closed recently, notice any changes in global current events?
Daniel Triplett says
It’s time for a German Revolution, which will spread like wildfire across Europe.
DFD says
Soon my friend, soon. The trigger will be when there’s no more cash, a) for the Germans (pensioners etc,) and b) nothing for the colonists either. Though, for ‘b’ it may last a bit longer.
The 30 years war was **NOT** started about the reformation, nor about Luther, but about cash. The various Germans in their multitude of principalities were p***d off about paying to the emperor AND the pope.
And more and more Germans are getting nervous about that. Though, the “beginning” may well be in France, even though in the UK Islam is strongest. Note here, the 30 years war began in Prague…
Daniel Triplett says
Excellent analysis my friend. You have a strong grasp of history.
DFD says
PS: May I correct you? It should actually be “counter revolution”, what’s going on is the work of mainly international socialists/anarchists (Soros etc.), i.e., leftists. These are allied or have allied themselves with the Muslims. In addition to these there are of course the international capitalists such as Rothschild’s. They have overlapping aims, and one regards the other as useful idiots.
PRCS says
Good point.
Daniel Triplett says
Makes sense. Thank you.
Let’s get the counterrevolution started. [Something a German could never write or speak publicly, so we must say it for them]
Stan Lee says
Today, the present German-type government is called “Leftist,” when it was really “Socialist”,which once was “Nazism,” And, “Nazism” actually stood for (as converted to English) as “National Socialist Party.”
First, Hitler Inc. shut down speech, which meant that all Germans were under constant surveillance to detect any speaking against the growing NAZI government. How bad was it? Well,”detainment/reeducation” camps were being built to handle the caseloads of German citizens who resented Nazism to begin with, and as we now know, it was to grow into a world-threatening beast.
Believe this; there were Germans who did protest at what Nazism stood for. They wanted their Germany to regain its standing, but not as a Hitlerian state with the policy of “shut your mouths, do not speak negatively against government, and abide by orders.”
But, it did become worse as people resented the dictatorship. To assure the population’s obedience, the police state named ethnic groups cited as “trouble makers.” This is where Christian ministers, priests, academics, and of course the minority group Jews, a minority religion which went back as far as 600 years in Germany came under the Nazi microscope.
To make his point more severe, Hitler revoked citizenship of all Jews in Germany. In one fell swoop, they became a homeless, stateless, people. Interesting is a fact from an old German printing of the book, “Deutsches Juden im Weltkrieg” (please excuse my effort in German) “German-Jews in the World War.” As a group fighting for Germany, 19,000 Iron Crosses had been awarded to German Jewish soldiers. However, the Nazis needed a scapegoat in their propaganda process to make their point to the German population that if they were compliant with Berlin’s leadership, they would be treated well. If not….we all know the rest.
In the waning days of the “1000 Year Reich,” and from his underground headquarters, Hitler made the point, as Germany became hard-pressed and was suffocating, that Germans did not deserve his (Hitler’s) leadership and that the country must then perish.
I just could not resist commenting now, because shutting down any dissent was then a first step to dictatorship. Today, the German government seems to be eerily duplicating the birth of Nazism.
Also, though the S.S. troops were supposedly “pure Aryan,” but the SS did recruit two divisions of Balkan Muslims who served Nazism as “hit troops” in the Balkans by practicing genocide among Balkan Slavics and Greeks who resisted via Guerilla groups against Nazism.
As I previously stated, it all started in 1933-34 under penalty by that government in silencing dissent and ordering only certain speech and writings for the German people.
It all started by taking one right after another in Germany! The common understanding has become, “Deviate from our policies….pay the price” Coincidentally, there now exists a group imported into Germany, which hates Euro white people to begin with, and already has been indoctrinated by the Koran to exact punishment upon Christians, and secular types, all lumped into a single group called “Crusaders.” Did the E.U.’s policy of importing “unbalanced peoples” have anything to do with it?
Obviously, the answer is “yes,”. A look at Sweden, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, etc. is a bad omen. UK may have saved itself, Brexit must be fully enacted with no back-tracking!. Hungary and Poland are standing tall against the EU. Russia has its border sealed against migrant infiltration. The Russian military won’t hesitate to be severe about border infiltration. It is no wonder that they refused entry to the EU.
DFD says
Brexit wont change anything. Only immigration from eastern European Christians will be affected. The Muslims will continue to come unhindered through the Common wealth, no restriction at all. Take a look at Theresa May, we call her “Sharia May”. Under her auspices the number of sharia courts has risen from about 40 to by now 200 or even 250 (Christian Institute).
Russia? Wake up! They have about 25-35 million Muslims, PLUS the xyz’stans at their southern borders. Moscow is the Muslim capital of Europe, and home to Europe’s largest Mosque.
BTW, it’s true that Hitler raised about 2 Muslim divisions, or even 3 or 4 in the Balkans, total all approx 100,000 to 200,000 Muslims, tops. He was a Johnny-come-lately. DeGaulle has armed and recruited 4 million Muslims (!!!) and declared these to French men and thus part of the “Free French”. Churchill was hard on his heels, 2 million Muslims armed and recruited. Take a look at France! And Britain, here Islam is strongest in Europe. The Mayor of London… Robert Spencer banned from entrance – do I need to go on?
Thomas F. says
I am living in Germany, you are completely right. Problem is that there is no critical media in Germany anymore. You won’t see these things on ARD or ZDF and so they go unnoticed by everyone not on the internet, which means nearly everybody above an age of 55. Whenever I show my mother of 79 a clip on YouTube about what really happens in the world she tells me that she does not want to hear any more of how the country she rebuild is going down or she could kill herself.
Will Doohan says
The full name of the Nazi party was the National Socialist German Workers Party.
Jandre Kroeze says
Not gonna help these fascists at all. More and more citizens are waking up to whats going on and the destination of the road we are on. When more get orgenized and armed these europhiles are doomed.
Will Doohan says
The Leftists are in favor of having Thought Police, as long as they are in charge.
Carlos Danger says
People outside of the Reich tend to forget the socialism component of National Socialism
John A. Marre says
He looks like someone who traveled in time from 1939, Berlin.
Tom says
Is “Right wing incitement” actually a criminal offence in Germany??
Seems the state is arbitrarily deciding what is or isn’t acceptable with a double standard approach where free speech becomes “incitement” yet preaching that the killing of non believers is not.
Seems national socialism of the kind which previously created a tyrannical government is alive and well in Germany.
Joe says
Yeah, it is the Nazi party all over again, but they call themselves “anti-Nazi” to how tolerant they are as they persecute people for having an opinion.
Ric says
It is not solely Germany that suffers from this asininity, undemocratic, totalitarian actions. The UK suffers from the same syndrome. They spend more manpower and pounds seeking out Islamophobes than Radical Islamist. This is one reason the latest attacks in Manchester and London were successful. Now that some Islamophobe used the Islamist tactic (which I do not condone) to mow down Muslims, May, and her politically correct and expedient ilk feel the Islamophobe tactic is validated.
Our freedom of speech and thought are being whittled away day-by-day by our fascistic Overlords. Christians, Jews or other diverse faiths are open to denigration, terrorist attacks etc. while Islam is apparently deemed to have a higher standard than the former. It is not going to improve; the leftist scourge is more kindred to oppressive Islam than Democracy. The leftist dunderheads are in denial or rife with ignorance; they will be the first to feel the edge of the Islamic sword.
Joe says
Yeah but that “Islamophobe” turned out to have a history of mental illness. The fascists such as May and Merkel are just plain mean.
Lydia says
The new nazi tyranny is unleashed…
Lydia says
Anything they don’t like they label “hate speech” and there goes freedom of speech.
Judge Dredd says
Why is it not possible to report ANY muslim that quote one of the well-known hate verses of the Quran?
Although I’m fiercely against this level of totalitarian state control, it might cause the toppling of these suppressive and unjust laws.
Carlos Danger says
Germans seem to be attracted to rigid authoritarianism like moths to a guttering flame.
Billy says
“Our free society must not allow a climate of fear, threat, criminal violence and violence either on the street or on the internet.” – Holger Münch, president of the Federal Criminal Police Office
“Yes we can!” – Angela Merkel
paul budrunas says
As I remember, Adolph Hitler first introduced the concept of “Hate Speech” in order to further persecute the pre-war German Jews. And how well it worked. Deja vu all over again. Looks like we’re doomed to repeat our history, as dumb asses with tiny memories…
Baucent says
So just opposing immigration will soon be declared “hate speech”. The plan is clearly to shut down the debate and also paint an imaginary picture of “far right” extremists as much a danger as muslim jihadists. The reality is there are very very few attacks from the so called “far right.”
Flavius Claudius Iulianus says
Old habits die hard…
Steve says
In order to fight (so called) extremism the German’s impose nazi-like censorship
Its like something right out of orwell
Matthieu Baudin says
The authorities think that all they need to do is to keep the German People in their place; to keep the lid on their discontent. It’s a very ill advised and short term approach but seems to be the flavour of the month also in Britain, Sweden and elsewhere in Western Europe. The Independent Central Europeans would be laughing at all this if it weren’t such a serious and tragic saga.
Laura says
The British PM has said that she intends to ‘stamp out’ Islamophobia; she intends to make a justifiable fear of muslim violence…illegal!
O. G. says
To me these actions which surely will be reported by all major German networks are intended as mind control. It is intended to incite fear that the next person they will come for will be you. Just like in 1933.
It is a warning to everyone that they will lose their job, have their reputation ruined, be expelled from school or university, given a large fine or be sent to jail.
It is intended to stop dissent making you think twice about posting anything. It is mind control.
Carolyne says
History repeats itself. It happened before, only it was Nazis and their Brown shirts. What is it about Germans that they allow their governments to go in this direction?
Edward Dillon says
Germany didn’t or didn’t want to see where Hitler’s hate was going, so here comes islam, and they can’t see the same hate here either. Go figure.
UNCLE VLADDI says
All legislators and judges who put hurt feelings before facts should be fired and JAILED.
UNCLE VLADDI says
Subjectivism (double standards) is not only hypocrisy, it’s criminally extortive slander.