BERLIN, June 20 (Xinhua) -- The Federal Criminal Police (BKA) conducted house searches in 14 German states on Tuesday, investigating punishable cases of online hate speech, according to a BKA statement.
23 police stations were involved in the searches, and 36 suspects were interrogated.
The majority of the alleged, criminal offences being investigated are acts of right-wing, politically-motivated hate speech.
"The still large amount of criminal hate posts continues to show the need for police action. Our free society must not tolerate a climate of fear, threat, punishable incitement and violence, neither on the street nor on the Internet," said BKA president Holger Muench.
After similar investigations last year, the raids were carried out for the second time on Tuesday, Day of Action against Hate Postings, initiated by Federal justice minister Heiko Mass in 2016.
