Combined German police forces raided more than 100 homes in 13 states on March 22 to curtail alleged excesses of hate speech against politicians and “safeguard democracy.”

Several state police bureaus were involved in a “joint day of action” which involved enforcement actions against some 600 leads involving internet posts containing “criminal content” against “elected politicians,” especially women, Breitbart reported.

‘Protecting democracy’

The operation was justified according to the Federal Criminal Police Office based on Section 188 of the Criminal Code (StGB) which was revised last year to include “insults, slander, and defamation of people in political life” to be “particularly punishable,” a statement issued by the bureau said.