The Central Council of Jews in Germany, the country’s EJC affiliate, has welcomed the adoption by the German Federal Parliament of a legislative package to combat right-wing extremism, antisemitism and hate crime.
In addition to strengthening the fight against hate speech online through the Network Implementation Act (NetzDG), an amendment has been adopted to paragraph 46 of the German Criminal Code, which expressly recognises antisemitism as an aggravating circumstance in a criminal offence.
“By adopting these measures, the legislator has sent a clear signal against the rise of right-wing extremism and antisemitism in our country,” declared the President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Dr. Josef Schuster.
“What is important now is that further steps for implementation follow from this. The judiciary and law enforcement agencies need to be staffed with personnel capable of investigating and prosecuting online hatred. There is also a need for increased sensitivity when it comes to punishing antisemitic crimes. Right-wing extremists and antisemites have gained too much ground recently. We must finally put end to this with the full force of the law,” Dr. Schuster added.
