Berlin – German police have conducted raids on 10 apartments in the German capital in connection with investigation into nine men suspected of using social media to incite hatred against refugees and Jews.
None of the suspects were arrested during the raids, but police said they confiscated drugs, weapons and objects with anti-constitutional insignia that were being evaluated to further the investigation.
The suspects, identified only as men aged between 22 and 58, were accused of posting anti-refugee and anti-Semitic messages on social media networks including Facebook and Twitter, as well as circulating music with racist lyrics.
Germany has noted a rise in hate speech on the internet since the refugee crisis, with 289 police complaints filed in 2015 up from 196 during the previous year. (dpa/NAN)