Incitement to hatred

What Is Incitement of the People?

Incitement of the people refers to disturbing the public peace by calling for violence, hatred, or arbitrary actions against groups of people or individuals because of their origin, religion, or ethnicity. Denying, trivializing, or approving of genocides or the Holocaust is also included. The public sphere does not only include real life, but also comment sections on social media and chat groups.

What Can I Do Against Incitement of the People Online?

First of all, you should not spread the content any further and should report it directly to the platform. Under the Network Enforcement Act (NetzDG), platforms were required to remove clearly illegal content within 24 hours.

There are also external reporting services, such as youth protection services or Meldestelle REspect. In addition to reporting the content on the platform itself, it can be useful to contact one of these external services to increase the chances of having the content removed or, in serious cases, to enable criminal prosecution.

If you want to file a criminal complaint yourself, you can do so online with the police or, in particularly serious cases, with the public prosecutor’s office.

How Is Incitement of the People Punished?

Anyone found guilty of incitement of the people can, depending on the severity of the offense, receive a prison sentence of between three months and five years or a fine.