German police raid dozens of homes over online hate speech

BERLIN — Police have raided dozens of homes across Germany as part of a nationwide law enforcement campaign against online hate speech.

The Federal Criminal Police Office said the raids took place Thursday in 13 of Germany’s 16 states.

Police targeted people suspected of posting anti-Semitic insults, insulting officials or publicly calling on others to commit crimes.

Federal police say the number of cases involving online hate fell from 2,270 in 2017 to 1,472 last year, but further efforts are needed to tackle the problem.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday condemned gloating comments that appeared online following the killing of a politician who had spoken out in favor of refugees. Police are still trying to determine who shot Walter Luebcke , a member of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party, at the weekend.