BERLIN (AP) – German authorities carried out raids Thursday across Germany against people suspected of posting misogynistic hate speech online.
Police raided homes and interrogated 45 suspects in 11 states early in the morning, German news agency dpa reported. None of the suspects were detained.
The raids were part of the annual “combating misogyny on the internet” day of action, which began in 2022 and comes one day before International´s Women´s Day.
In Germany, sweeping slurs against women can be punishable as incitement to hatred.
In preparation for the raids, authorities screened the internet for posts that potentially broke anti-misogyny laws and attempted to identify the authors. Names were then forwarded to the public prosecutor´s offices in the states where the suspects live in order to decide whether to proceed with investigations.
Communications that are considered illegal include posts in which women are slandered and insulted in a sexualized manner, or publicly encouraged to send nude photos. The authorities also flagged posts that advocated rape or sexual assault or that distributed videos of torture or killing, dpa reported.
Despite the law, online posts that degrading or threatening women often go unpunished, and many women say they avoid public attention fearing online attacks.
The raids were carried out by Germany’s Central Office for Combating Cybercrime in Frankfurt, the Federal Criminal Police Office, and several state law enforcement agencies.
