Greens call for Berlin report office for digital violence
The Greens in Berlin's House of Representatives are calling for the establishment of a reporting office for digital violence. In a motion for the next parliamentary session on Thursday, the Berlin Senate is asked to present a concept for a reporting platform where incidents of violence, hate and hate speech online can be reported and reported. This concerns, for example, criminal offenses such as insults, coercion or incitement to hatred, explained Gollaleh Ahmadi, the parliamentary group's spokesperson for security policy, on Monday.
According to the Greens, the office should be attached to the Senate Department of the Interior. It would serve as a "competence center for digital violence", which would receive reports and coordinate cooperation between law enforcement authorities. On request, it could also provide victims with counseling services. The aim is to speed up criminal proceedings and administrative action, as the Hessian reporting office "HessenGegenHetze" has already done.
"Digital violence in its immense dimensions and consequences is a problem for society as a whole," said Ahmadi. "With its strong growth and increasingly drastic content, digital violence is becoming a threat to freedom of expression and freedom of the press - and therefore to our democracy." Timo Reinfrank from the Amadeu Antonio Foundation explained that there is already a well-functioning network of civil society monitoring centers in Berlin. "However, there is a gap in terms of criminal prosecution. What works in Hesse would therefore also work in Berlin."
The Greens' proposal for a reporting office includes addressing extreme forms of speech, such as incitement to hatred, which falls under the category of digital violence. This office could also handle instances of cybercrime, like online threats or coercion, which are examples of digital extremism.
Source: www.dpa.com
