On suspicion of sedition, apartments and other rooms, including two business addresses, were searched by five Berlin police officers. They are said to have sent messages with “inhuman content” in a chat group with twelve members, the police said on Wednesday.
Among other things, it is about pictures and caricatures and racist and right-wing content. In addition, anti-constitutional symbols are said to have been used. “The searches were successful,” it said, all five suspects were found. Cell phones and other evidence were seized. The evidence would now be further evaluated.
The investigations are being carried out by the public prosecutor’s office and the internal police investigation group “Central”, which was established in April. Originally, one of the police officers had been investigated on suspicion of betrayal. The criminal police discovered the chat group with the prohibited content in the colleague’s cell phone.
Criminal investigations were initiated against the cell phone owner and four other group members. Now the searches followed. The other participants in the chat group should not have committed any criminal offenses themselves. However, the police are reviewing disciplinary measures against them.
“If a police officer has or receives such content and does not report it, we must of course react to it. That is why we are reviewing labor law and disciplinary measures, ”said a police spokeswoman for the Tagesspiegel. “To do or tolerate xenophobic or inhuman acts – that is not what we as the Berlin Police stand for.”
More than 20 criminal proceedings for right-wing extremist incidents
In how many cases the people are being checked with the aim of removing them from the service, she cannot yet say. “In the case of the five people where the allegations are criminally relevant, we will certainly check before, but then have to wait to see what the conclusion of the procedure results,” said the spokeswoman. First of all, the evidence would have to be evaluated.
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Several problematic incidents had become known in recent years, including a chat group of police students with 26 members in October 2020, several of whom, according to prosecutors, exchanged messages with racist content or swastikas.
More than 20 criminal proceedings have been initiated against police officers for right-wing extremist incidents. At the same time, 47 internal disciplinary proceedings were running. A total of 26,000 police officers and employees work for the Berlin police. (with dpa)
