German police raid, question online hate speech suspects

BERLIN (AP) — Authorities in Germany say police have searched homes and questioned suspects as part of an annual nationwide crackdown against online hate speech. Police carried out 91 operations in 14 German states on Wednesday. Prosecutors said officers in the central state of Hesse investigated three women and six men on allegations including incitement to hatred, defamation and libel. Germany has staged annual police raids against online hate speech since 2016. The country’s top security official, Nancy Faeser, said in a statement that crimes committed on social media, messaging apps and Internet forums provide “fertile ground for extremist violence.”