Freedom of expression in danger: British police warn of hate crimes!
Freedom of expression in danger: British police warn of hate crimes!
In Great Britain, an incident causes a sensation that re -sparked the debate about freedom of expression and hate crimes. An older man received a warning from the British police that his statement "Speak English" on a migrant could be perceived as a hate crime. This warning measure is part of a worrying development that has led to a drastic increase in arrests based on expressions of opinion in recent years. According to Our Central Europe around 12,183 people were arrested in 2023, which corresponds to an increase of 58 % compared to 2019 when there were 7,734 arrests.
These arrests take place as part of the paragraph 127 of the 2003 Communication Act and the "Malicious Communications Act" from 1988. The police are authorized to arrest people due to suspicious online posts and comments that are classified as threatening or insulting. Civil rights groups criticize this tendency as an excessive control of the Internet and an undermining of freedom of expression by vague communication laws.
case studies and legal framework conditions
An example of this contradictory application of the law are the cases of Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine. These were arrested on January 29 after they had expressed concerns about their daughter's school approval process in a WhatsApp group. The brutal access by six uniformed police officers who stormed their house and arrested the family in front of their child shows the drama of the situation. Everyone reported that they felt like in a police state, while their news was written in a "slightly sarcastic" tone and contained no insulting language.
In 2023, the most common reasons for the adjustment of the procedures were attributed to "difficulties of evidence", despite the high number of arrests. The convictions halved during this period, which raises questions about the effectiveness of the measures carried out.
digital violence and its effects on democracy
parallel to the events in the UK, the topic of digital violence is a growing problem that is increasingly concerned with political landscape. According to National Geographic , almost every second politically committed person who is affected by digital violence has changed their communication. Around 25 % of the women concerned consider to withdraw completely. These trends were documented by Janina Steinert, professor for Global Health at the Technical University of Munich.
yvonne Magwas, CDU member of the Bundestag, warns that persistent attacks are decomposed to disintegrate democratic coexistence and demands quick action to protect politically. The Hateaid organization also demands that parties provide contact points for those affected by digital violence and that the persecution of ads is consistently implemented.
However, there are also voices among those affected that cannot be intimidated. Luisa Neubauer emphasizes that threats and hate comments will not prevent them from their work and demands political pressure to better regulate hate postings and democratize online platforms. The responsibility of the operators of social media platforms is also emphasized, especially with regard to the Digital Services Act (DSA), which has the goal of acting against hate comments and false information.Overall, the developments show in both the UK and Germany how important the discussion about freedom of expression, digital violence and its extensive consequences is for democracy. The challenge is to find an appropriate balance between the criminalization of dangerous statements and the preservation of freedom of expression.
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| Ort | Großbritannien |
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