Germany: The CDU and the SPD want to quickly pass a law against “hate on the net”

BERLIN. Representatives of the grand coalition have urged that the law to combat right-wing extremism on the Internet be passed as quickly as possible. "The storming of the Capitol makes it clear once again what power is inherent in social networks," said the deputy leader of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei (CDU), to the Rheinische Post. What happened showed that words from social media were turning into actions.

On Wednesday supporters of the outgoing US President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in Washington. Five people were killed in the riot.

The SPD parliamentary group vice-president Dirk Wiese supported the project. "The clear message to enemies of democracy and agitators can only be: We do not accept your actions and oppose your hatred on all levels - online and offline," he said, according to ARD.

Thuringian constitution protection warns against imitators
The law previously passed by the Bundestag and Bundesrat had Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier stopped because of the requirements of the Federal Constitutional Court. The judges criticized that companies like Facebook and Twitter should report so-called "hate comments" to the Federal Criminal Police Office.

In the coming week, the amended law will be discussed in the Bundestag and this will be approved at the end of January. Then the Federal Council could confirm it at the beginning of February.

Meanwhile, the President of the Thuringian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Stephan Kramer , warned that the events in Washington could motivate right-wing extremists in Germany to do similar acts and referred to the occupation of the stairs of the Reichstag in August last year. Extremists could now hope, "if something like this is possible in the USA, the model country of democracy, and the security forces could not stop the storm, then we can do it", he told Tagesspiegel.

Source: Junge Freiheit