The traffic lights’ latest censorship plans are dystopian. A reporting centre called ‘REspect’ is to report mass expressions of opinion by internet users. But massive resistance is now forming.
The head of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller (Greens), is appeasing and defending his agency. It does not remove content from social media. ‘Platforms and services handle reported content on the basis of the applicable laws and their terms of use.’ The final decision as to whether a post is deleted or not lies ‘as always with the courts’, Müller states on X. Elsewhere, the Green Party member also emphasises that it is not a matter of censoring expressions of opinion, which many citizens see differently, including Zeit journalist Jochen Bittner. He quotes Müller using his own words when he presented the ‘REspect’ reporting centre at the beginning of October this year as a ‘trusted flagger’ in the sense of the Digital Services Act adopted by the EU Commission. ‘Illegal content, hate and fake news can be removed very quickly and without bureaucratic hurdles,’ Müller said at the time. For Bittner, this is ‘blatantly unconstitutional’. The emphasis on wanting to remove ‘hate and fake news’ as well as illegal content means ‘that legal content can also be removed alongside illegal content’, argues Bittner.
But it is not only Müller’s words that cast doubt on the fact that ‘REspect’ is only about deleting illegal content. REspect’ is funded by the “Demokratie Leben!” (Living Democracy!) programme, which is run by the Ministry of Family Affairs, i.e. by Green politician Lisa Paus. In February of this year, Paus presented a study on the phenomenon of ‘hate on the Internet’, emphasising that she wanted her work to ‘take account of the fact that hate on the Internet also occurs below the threshold of criminal liability’. So-called ‘enemies of democracy’ know exactly ‘what falls under freedom of expression on social media platforms’.
Even ‘Demokratie Leben!’ – 2023, which has a total budget of 182 million euros, also finances the ‘REspect’ reporting centre, while the ‘Initiative Toleranz im Netz’ is also a financial supporter. This in turn was founded in 2021 by the green-black state government in Baden-Württemberg. The self-appointed task force includes the Baden-Württemberg Office of Criminal Investigation, several educational institutes and the Baden-Württemberg Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
The head of ‘REspect’ is Ahmed Haykel Gaafar. A graduate in Islamic Studies, he presents himself as secular and moderate. In March, he said during a guest lecture at Biberach University of Applied Sciences: ‘Anti-Semitic conspiracy myths are widespread internationally.’ Joint action must be taken against this. His appeal to the audience: ‘Let us help to advise each other and learn ways to counteract any prejudiced structures at an early stage.’
Gaafar graduated in Islamic Studies from Azhar University in Cairo. Michael Barak, historian and terrorism researcher, accused the Egyptian educational institution of being ideologically close to Hamas in an interview with the Austrian newspaper ‘Der Standard’. Over the past decade, the university has become increasingly radical in its teachings. In a fatwa – an Islamic legal judgement – Al-Azhar had authorised the killing of Israeli civilians. For Barak, it is clear: ‘When you have such an important religious institution on the side of the terrorists, it is almost impossible to defeat Hamas.’
EU and media law scholar Volker Boehme-Neßler reacted indignantly to the German government’s plan to give the reporting portal ‘REspect’ so much power over digital discourse. ‘In the constitutional state, everything that is not expressly prohibited is permitted. What is prohibited is determined by the laws and the judiciary,’ he wrote on X. Boehme-Neßler is certain that private organisations ‘that are commissioned by the state to pursue hatred and agitation are therefore in breach of the Basic Law’.
And how does ‘REspect’ describe its own work? In a video, two members call on people to report as many online posts as possible, including legal expressions of opinion. Because: ‘Even if we can’t make a police complaint, it’s still very important. Not only for statistics, but especially for changing laws.’
Legale Meinungen am Pranger? Scharfe Kritik an neuen Meldestellen (jungefreiheit.de)
This is orwellian nightmare fuel. People need to start fighting back by any means necessary.