CBS’ “60 Minutes” aired a friendly interview Sunday with local German officials as the country’s government initiates a nationwide crackdown on offensive speech.
CBS’ Sharyn Alfonsi juxtaposed how, even as the United States allows “hate-filled or toxic” speech, Germany is “trying to bring some civility to the worldwide web by policing it in a way most Americans could never imagine.”
Germany has been raiding the homes of those it believes to be making offensive statements online. CBS rode along with six armed officers as they raided a suspect’s home and seized his electronics.
Alfonsi interviewed state prosecutors, Dr. Matthäus Fink, Svenja Meininghaus and Frank-Michael Laue, who explained that such laws come as a surprise even to German citizens.
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Fink said the typical reaction is that “The people are surprised that this is really illegal, to post these kind [sic] of words… They don’t think it was illegal. And they say, ‘No, that’s my free speech,’ And we say, ‘No, you have free speech as well, but it also has its limits.'”
Alfonsi summarized that German law “prohibits any speech that could incite hatred or is deemed insulting” and asked the prosecutors about how this works in practice.
“It’s illegal to display Nazi symbolism, a swastika, or deny the Holocaust, that’s clear,” Alfonsi said. “Is it a crime to insult somebody in public?”
“Yes,” the prosecutors agreed.
“And it’s a crime to insult them online as well?” Alfonsi asked.
“Yes,” Meininghaus answered.
“The fine could be even higher if you insult someone in the internet,” Fink explained. “Because [on the] internet, it stays there. If we are talking face to face, you insult me, I insult you, okay, finish. But if you’re [on] the internet, if I insult you or a politician-“
“It sticks around forever,” Alfonsi said, finishing his sentence.
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Alfonsi reported that German law also “prohibits the spread of malicious gossip, violent threats, and fake quotes.”
Meininghaus explained how re-posting or redistributing false information is a violation as well.
“In the days of re-posting, it is a crime as well,” the prosecutor said. “Because the reader can’t distinguish whether you just invented this or just re-posted it. That’s the same for us.”
“The punishment for breaking hate speech laws can include jail time for repeat offenders,” Alfonsi narrated. “But in most cases a judge levies a stiff fine and sometimes keeps their devices.”
Laue laughed as he described how “shocked” people are when their phones are taken. “It’s kind of a punishment if you lose your smartphone. It’s even worse than the fine you have to pay.”
“Because your whole life is typically on your phone now,” Alfonsi observed.
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CBS noted that there are 16 units with teams of investigators that monitor hate speech across the country. Laue, who leads the lower-Saxony unit, said that his office alone typically handles about 3,500 cases per year.
The segment came just days after Vice President JD Vance attended the Munich Security Conference, where he criticized Germany and other European allies for adopting a “Soviet”-style approach to censorship.
Elsewhere on the same network, CBS host Margaret Brennan locked horns with Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he defended Vance’s speech. The “Face the Nation” host claimed that free speech had been “weaponized” in Nazi Germany to bring about the Holocaust.
Rubio pushed back, “Free speech was not used to conduct a genocide… There was no free speech in Nazi Germany. There was none. There was also no opposition in Nazi Germany. They were the sole and only party that governed that country. So that’s not an accurate reflection of history.”
Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
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