During the early hours of Wednesday, a large-scale police operation was launched across Germany, targeting hundreds of people accused of insulting politicians or posting messages considered "hate" on the internet.
During this authoritarian large-scale operation, police conducted raids at the homes of 170 people, seizing computers, mobile phones, and other devices, and carrying out raids in different regions of the country.
The action was driven by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), as part of the enforcement of the new Article 188 of the Penal Code, which allows action against individuals accused of "incitement to hatred" and "racist expressions".
The Interior Minister of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Herbert Reul (CDU), who has faced a notable increase in crime in his jurisdiction, including violent crimes and knife attacks carried out by illegal immigrants, emphatically supported the operation against freedom of expression.
"Digital arsonists must not be able to hide behind their mobile phones or their computers," Reul stated.
