The German state and federal police crime prevention agency says: Hatred, insults and hate speech online are not trivial offenses and do not fall under freedom of expression. Take a stand against racist and inhumane voices and support the victims. The police give tips on what you can do if you are affected or the rights of others are violated. You can also support children and young people who are affected by hate online!
What is hate speech?
Hate speech, also hate speech , refers to criminal statements , comments, images or films that threaten or insult a person or group of people based on their sexuality, religious or ethnic affiliation. The content distributed via the Internet, social networks or via messengers such as WhatsApp can be extremist, racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic, Holocaust-denying or glorifying violence. Such content can often be found in comment columns on social networks or is spread via so-called fake accounts .
Young people are confronted with insults and hate speech online
According to the current results of the JIMplus study 2022 , 28% of young people that they had often been affected by hate speech against themselves on the Internet and 20% had “experienced hate speech against themselves from time to time”. In their personal environment (e.g. friends, family, classmates), 72% of those surveyed had noticed hate speech. As early as 2021, the proportion rose to 29% of young people surveyed who said that false or offensive things were spread about them on the Internet. Until then, the values remained stable around 20%. According to the authors of the study, the Corona-related increase in media use as a substitute for real meetings and opportunities for social exchange may have contributed to this sharp increase.
Hatred online is not a trivial offense
More than one in two young people also agreed with the statement “I have encountered hate messages on the Internet in the last month”. Almost half of the young people were also able to report extreme political views and conspiracy theories that they had encountered online. ( see JIM study 2021, p. 46 )
Is hate speech a criminal offense?
Hateful speech is punishable when it exceeds the limits of free expression and violates the rights of others.
Some possible crimes related to hate speech include:
§ 185 StGB: Insult
§ 86 StGB: Spreading propaganda materials of unconstitutional organizations
§ 111 StGB: Public incitement to commit crimes
§ 130 StGB: Incitement
§ 131 StGB: Depictions of violence
§ 166 StGB: Insulting denominations, religious societies and ideological associations
What can you do against hate and insults online?
- Hate speech cannot be ignored. Take a stand and object, for example in the comment columns!
- Secure evidence through screenshots or save chat histories to report problematic content.
- Report hate, hate speech and verbal violence consistently!
Contact the platform operator and request deletion. This usually works via a contact form or an email . On large platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter you usually also have the option of reporting content directly.
You can also report content directly to the Internet Complaints Office !
Of course, you can also file a report at the local police station or provide information about the perpetrators!
source
Police prevention
Also read: Fight against hate on the internet – the Bavarian judiciary has conducted 3,965 proceedings for hate crimes on the internet in the past two years. This was announced by the Ministry of Justice in Munich.
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