As attacks and assaults rise, why are German authorities cracking down on memes and social media posts instead of focusing on public safety?
Adam Starzynski
Aug 25, 2025 - 6:58 PM
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Germany’s Priorities Under Fire
Germany is facing a marked rise in violent crime. From knife attacks on trains to assaults at Christmas markets and children’s parks, incidents of brutality are drawing growing public attention. Many involve recent asylum seekers, some of whom were already known to police.
Yet, while public safety concerns mount, German authorities have devoted significant energy to policing online speech. In early 2025, police conducted over 170 coordinated raids targeting citizens accused of posting “hateful” or offensive content online. These operations, often carried out at dawn, targeted memes, cartoons, and political commentary sometimes of a relatively mild or satirical nature.
Among those affected was 64-year-old Stefan Nehof, a retired army sergeant who shared a meme mocking Green Party leader Robert Habeck. Under German law, public officials enjoy heightened protection against insult, and those criticizing them online can face imprisonment for serious public defamation; devices may be confiscated during investigations to collect evidence. According to reporting by 60 Minutes, even reposting or liking such content can be prosecuted, as authorities argue the reader cannot distinguish between original creation and sharing.
Speech vs. Safety
These raids reflect Germany’s rigorous enforcement of hate speech laws, a legal regime designed to prevent online abuse and harassment. Yet this focus contrasts sharply with the ongoing reality of violent crime. Over the past year, Germany has witnessed a series of violent incidents, including:
- May 2024: An Afghan national, who had arrived in Germany as an unaccompanied minor seeking asylum and held a valid residence permit, fatally stabbed a police officer in Mannheim during an anti-Islamism rally.
- December 2024: A Saudi-born psychiatrist residing in Germany drove into a Christmas market in Magdeburg killing six and injuring around 300, with dozens in critical condition.
- January 2025: A failed Afghan asylum seeker targeted kindergarten children.
- February 2025: An Afghan asylum seeker, who arrived in Germany as a minor and held a valid residence and work permit, drove into a crowd in Munich killing a mother and her 2-year-old daughter. Separately, a Syrian refugee, who arrived in Germany in 2023 as an unaccompanied minor and was granted asylum, stabbed a Spanish tourist in Berlin.
- May 2025: A Syrian asylum seeker, who entered Germany in August 2023 and was later granted subsidiary protection with a residence permit valid until February 2027, stabbed five students outside a bar in Bielefeld, four of them seriously injured.
- July 2025: A legally residing Syrian asylum seeker attacked passengers with an axe on a train from Hamburg to Vienna.
This is not an exhaustive list.
Meanwhile, some outlets reported that statistics from Frankfurt paint a broader picture: foreign nationals, those without a German passport, were responsible for 100% of sexual assaults, 93% of pickpocketing incidents, 83% of human trafficking cases, 54% of cases of murder and 64.8% of manslaughter. They were also overrepresented among other reported crimes, including burglary, child abuse, arson, and aggravated theft. The remaining suspects are German citizens; however, the data does not indicate whether these citizens have a migration background, as Germany does not record this information.
For many ordinary Germans, these figures reflect a growing sense of insecurity. Yet government priorities appear to focus more on shielding politicians from criticism than on directly addressing public safety threats. Early-morning police raids on civilians for sharing memes stand in stark contrast to the ongoing risk posed by violent offenders.
A Broader European Trend
Germany is not alone. Across Europe, free expression is increasingly regulated, even as public safety concerns rise. Policymakers defend their migration strategies but often face criticism for failing to ensure security.
At the Munich Security Forum, U.S. Vice President JD Vance highlighted this dynamic, noting that Europe’s current challenges are the product of long-standing policy decisions. Citizens, he argued, are paying the price, while those who speak out online, even lightly, risk consequences. As Vance observed, policy choices around mass migration were deliberate, yet their consequences have left communities vulnerable to violence.
The longer governments avoid addressing the consequences of their policies, the stronger public pressure will become. Ultimately, the question remains: who are these policies designed to protect, and at what cost?
