BERLIN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- German authorities conducted more than 130 operations across the country, searching 70 homes and questioning numerous suspects, in a bid to combat online hate speech and agitation, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) said on Thursday.
The BKA reported that more than half of the hate postings processed could be attributed to the phenomenon of right-wing politically motivated crime. The postings included inciting content and propaganda offenses, such as the use of swastikas or other Nazi symbols, as well as anti-Semitic statements related to the Middle East conflict.
Additionally, postings containing threats and insults against politicians, public officials, and elected representatives were tracked, with the BKA claiming that "some of the threats also included specific execution scenarios."
A series of attacks on politicians from various political camps is causing concern in Germany. Chancellor Olaf Scholz's Social Democratic Party (SPD) and its coalition partner, the Greens, the opposition right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD), have all reportedly been affected.
Politically motivated crimes in Germany in 2023 rose by 1.89 percent year-on-year, reaching a record high of 60,028 cases, the Ministry of the Interior (BMI) reported at the end of May. ■