Police in seven different countries across Europe conducted raids Tuesday on people suspected of engaging in “hate speech” online, according to reports.
83 apartments were searched in Germany to collect devices such as smart phones and laptops, Reuters reports. 96 suspects are being questioned by authorities about hateful posts they are accused of making online, per Reuters. (RELATED: Former Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn Suspended After Anti-Semitism Probe Finds Party Discriminated Against Jewish Members)
One suspect is accused of insulting a female politician online and another allegedly made anti-Semitic comments, according to German prosecutors. The raids are an annual effort in Germany to crack down on hateful online posts, and this year they were accompanied by Italy, France, Greece, Norway, Britain, and the Czech Republic, all for the first time, per Reuters.
European police in coordinated raids against online hate speech https://t.co/oJagDmxvmR pic.twitter.com/1lcoqXlVmu
— Reuters (@Reuters) November 3, 2020
The Tuesday raids were focused on combating racism and xenophobia, according to a Europol spokesperson. Germany is home to some of the strictest hate speech laws in the world, with things like Holocaust denial and inciting hate against minorities punishable by time in prison, Reuters reports.
While these raids went on, other parts of Europe have still been reeling from recent Islamic terrorist attacks. A gunman shot and killed multiple people in Vienna on Monday night, and France has seen multiple recent beheading attacks, sparking a crackdown on extremism by French President Emmanuel Macron.