Violence against local politicians
Association of Municipalities sees “scary dimensions”
2/7/2022 8:08 am
The pandemic is also having drastic consequences for local politicians. According to the Association of Municipalities, threats, intimidation and acts of violence have increased massively: “The emerging trend towards radicalization is a serious threat to local democracy.”
The chief executive of the Association of Towns and Municipalities, Gerd Landsberg, has expressed concern about the increasing violence against local politicians during the corona pandemic. Hate and frustration had “reached a new, frightening dimension,” Landsberg told the “Handelsblatt”.
Municipal elected officials who are perceived locally as representatives of the state are particularly at risk. Threats, insults, intimidation, but also acts of violence against them have “drastically” increased. According to preliminary figures from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), 4,458 crimes were committed against officials and elected officials last year, reports the “Handelsblatt”. In 2017 there were only 1527.
The BKA attributes the increase in criminal offenses to, among other things, radicalization tendencies in social media as a result of the corona pandemic. In particular, what is happening in the Messenger service Telegram is viewed with concern, the authority said. Landsberg sees a problem in online networks as platforms for spreading threats. “The radicalization trend that is emerging is a serious threat to local democracy and our democratic community as a whole,” he said.
If elected officials are threatened and intimidated, there is a risk that they will resign from office or not stand in the next election. “This is particularly to be feared when the threats are also directed against their own families.” Therefore, it must be made clear to the public again and again that these acts are not trivial offenses, but criminal offenses.
Call for more law enforcement
The head of the Association of Cities called on politicians to take action. The relevant penal provisions have been tightened. A significant reduction in criminal offenses has not yet been achieved. “Therefore, criminal prosecution should be further strengthened and consistently expanded against the relevant platforms, such as Telegram,” said Landsberg.
In this context, he welcomed the fact that the Federal Constitutional Court clarified last Wednesday that the operators of such networks, such as Facebook, are obliged to release user data if there are clear insults or criminal offenses.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser had previously expressed concern about the significant increase in politically motivated crime against politicians. “The sharp increase in these acts shows a brutalization and contempt for the state and democracy, which makes me very concerned and requires consistent action,” the SPD politician told the “Handelsblatt” on Sunday. Green parliamentary group leader Konstantin von Notz told the newspaper that the extent of hatred and hate speech against representatives of democratic institutions required “clear answers from the rule of law”.