Police take tough action against hate online: 14 suspects in Saxony!

Police take tough action against hate online: 14 suspects in Saxony!

A real day of action against hate on the Internet took place today in Saxony and beyond. In this context, the police not only identified 14 suspects, but also carried out numerous searches. In the cities of Leipzig, Chemnitz, Zwickau and Görlitz, 16 criminal hate posts and their authors were targeted. The accused include twelve men between the ages of 15 and 55, a 25-year-old woman and a child. This approach is part of a nationwide initiative that has now been carried out for the twelfth time across all 16 federal states to counteract the growing problem of online hate speech. So reported stern.de that 13 of the identified cases could be assigned to the right-wing spectrum, while one case could be assigned to the left-wing spectrum, a foreign ideology.

The allegations against the accused are serious: they range from the use of unconstitutional signs to incitement to insults and condoning crimes. It is alarming to see that there has been an increase in recorded hate postings in recent years - from 2,411 cases in 2021 to a remarkable 10,732 in 2024. According to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), this increase is partly due to a "lightening of the dark field", that is, more and more people are daring to report their experiences.

Operations in Saxony-Anhalt and nationwide

But Saxony is not alone. In Saxony-Anhalt, twelve measures were also aimed at combating online hate speech. These actions, which are taking place today on Action Day, are also coordinated by the BKA. Investigative procedures were implemented here that focus on interrogating people who are guilty of incitement to hatred, insults or the use of unconstitutional license plates. These measures claim to shed light on the extent of politically motivated crime, especially from the right. More than 170 operations and 65 search warrants were carried out nationwide, as well as additional reports n-tv.de.

The explosiveness of the issue is illustrated by the increase in crimes against hate postings. According to that zeit.de There was an increase of around 34 percent in 2024 compared to 2022. In many of these cases, the hate posts are directed against politicians, which illustrates the brutalization of digital communication, which is complained about by both politicians and society.

The role of civil society

In view of these worrying developments, the State Criminal Police Office in Saxony-Anhalt and other authorities have called on citizens to immediately report hate posts on social networks and, if necessary, file a complaint. A strong sense of community is needed to counteract digital hate speech and hold perpetrators accountable. Society therefore has a responsibility to take action against the spread of such content and to advocate for respectful coexistence.