International Women’s Day: raids for hate speech against women

There has been a noticeable increase in hate against women on the internet in recent years. There is usually little that can be done about the perpetrators, as most of them operate anonymously online. Apparently, at least. Just in time for International Women’s Day, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has now carried out a major raid to set an example against hate and to arrest some of the perpetrators.

Perfect timing for a raid against hate speech

Today, March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day. While many women are sure to receive a bouquet of flowers from their loved ones today, there are likely to be others who have to deal with nasty insults on the World Wide Web. Unfortunately, the latter is a daily phenomenon that has increased massively on social networks in recent years. The timing of the BKA’s nationwide raid against misogyny could hardly have been better.

In a total of eleven federal states, the officers reportedly gained access to homes in which suspects were living. A total of 45 interrogations and home searches are said to have taken place. The BKA is not the only one behind the operation. Together with the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIT) of the Public Prosecutor General’s Office in Frankfurt am Main, the operation was meticulously planned and carried out today.

Hate speech against women is punishable by law

It is sad that it still has to be made clear these days that insults against women are punishable by law. It doesn’t matter whether this takes place on the street or on the internet. Unfortunately, in the seemingly safe space of the World Wide Web and the corresponding anonymity, many perpetrators feel perfectly comfortable with their statements. They use social networks to hurl wild insults off the cuff. A ruling by the Higher Regional Court of Cologne from 2020 clarifies how this is to be assessed under criminal law. If there is a blanket denigration of women, the offense of incitement of the people may be fulfilled.

Repugnant content

Officials are focusing on perpetrators in Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hesse, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein. They are said to have not “only” shared hate speech online. They are also alleged to have advocated rape and even forwarded videos of torture or even the killing of women. The relevant investigations have been initiated. Holger Münch, President of the BKA, hopes that today will send a strong signal. He explained that they are “deliberately going into the spaces of hate” and will identify “acts and perpetrators”. They will be “taken out of anonymity and brought to justice”.