German MP investigated over anti-Muslim tweets
AfD deputy leader Beatrix von Storch’s Twitter account was briefly suspended
The deputy leader of Germany’s far-right AfD Party is facing a police investigation after she made anti-Muslim remarks on Twitter on new year’s eve. She could face charges of incitement to hatred.
Beatrix von Storch accused Cologne police of appeasing “barbaric, gang-raping Muslim hordes of men” after officers tweeted a new year greeting in Arabic, the BBC reports.
Twitter removed the tweet and suspended von Storch’s account for 12 hours for breaching the site’s rules on hate speech. After regaining access to her account, she wrote: “Facebook has now also censored me. This is the end of the constitutional state.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Von Storch’s tweets came as Germany began to enforce strict new rules governing hate speech on social media, which could result in sites like Twitter and Facebook being fined up to £44m if they fail to remove “obviously illegal” material within 24 hours of being notified.
Internet activists and journalists have joined the AfD in opposing the new law, says Deutsche Welle, “not least because the government has deliberately left the task of deleting content or blocking users to the internet platforms themselves, rather than having courts make decisions”.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How are Americans bracing for the end of SNAP?TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Millions depend on supplemental federal food funds that are set to expire this month, as the government shutdown begins to be acutely felt
-
Book review: ‘Joyride: A Memoir’Feature A journalist’s story of how she chased and accomplished her dreams
-
Art Review: Downtown/Uptown: New York in the EightiesFeature Lévy Gorvy Dayan, New York City, through Dec. 13
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Will Starmer’s India visit herald blossoming new relations?Today's Big Question Despite a few ‘awkward undertones’, the prime minister’s trip shows signs of solidifying trade relations
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Why ‘anti-Islam’ bikers are guarding Gaza aid sitesIn The Spotlight Members of Infidels MC, who regard themselves as modern Crusaders, among private security guards at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Russia's 'shared values' visaThe Explainer The 'anti-woke' scheme is aimed at foreigners who reject LGBTQ+ rights and 'non-traditional' values – and who can provide Moscow with online clout and skilled workers