frequently asked questions.
On this page, we’ve collected the questions we’re most frequently asked about hate speech.If your question isn’t listed here, just get in touch with us. We’re happy to support you.
Questions about hate speech and online violence
Hate speech refers to politically motivated attacks on the internet. These can include insults, threats, slurs, and other hateful messages. People are targeted because of perceived characteristics such as their gender identity, ethnicity, religion, or origin.
Motivations often include racism, sexism, antisemitism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of group-related hostilities. Certain professional groups, such as journalists, can also be affected.
Hate speech can appear in the form of texts, comments, memes, or images, spread via social media, messaging services, emails, or forums. The goal is often to silence and intimidate those affected and to turn public opinion against them.
Hate speech violates fundamental rights and fosters a climate of violence. Online hate can also escalate into real-world acts of aggression.
The distinction isn’t always clear-cut — hate speech often makes use of cyberbullying tactics. Cyberbullying usually targets individuals and is not politically motivated; victims and perpetrators often know each other.
Cyberbullying becomes hate speech when a political or ideological dimension is added. In such cases, victims and perpetrators often don’t know each other personally.
Hate speech includes defamation, insults, and threats of violence or murder, expressed verbally, in writing, or through images and memes, and distributed online (e.g. via social media, messaging services, gaming platforms, or forums).
Common forms of attack include:
- Publishing private photos or audio recordings
- Sending private messages
- Reporting accounts to get them suspended
- Doxxing (collecting and publishing personal data)
- DoS attack (“Denial-of-Service”: targeted overloading of data networks)
- Shitstorm (mass harassment online)
The impact varies depending on the nature and intensity of the attacks and on personal circumstances. Possible consequences include:
- Emotional stress
- Self-doubt
- Insecurity
- Anxiety
- Withdrawal from online spaces
- Mental health problems
- Real-world threats
These experiences can lead to victims withdrawing from public life — both online and offline.
Hate speech affects not just individuals, but society as a whole:
- It sends a violent signal to everyone who reads it.
- It restricts diversity of opinion and participation.
- It reinforces unjust power structures and social inequality.
- It creates the false impression that hateful views represent the majority.
- This can isolate not only the victims but also others who share similar values or backgrounds.
We’re here to support you. Don’t hesitate to reach out, we stand by your side and help you explore your options.
If you’re affected by hate speech, you have several ways to respond and protect yourself:
- Report: Most social media platforms allow you to report posts, comments, or entire profiles that violate community guidelines.
You can also report incidents directly to our partners at Respect!. - File charges: If you want to take legal action against potentially criminal content, you can file a criminal complaint.
This can be done orally, in writing, or by email at any police station — or online through your state’s police web portal. - Documenting evidence: If you plan on reporting hate speech, make sure to secure detailed evidence of the incident.
Record the content, author, date, and the URL (internet address) of each post. (See our FAQ section on evidence preservation for more details.) - Block users: All major social media platforms allow you to block users.
Once blocked, they can no longer contact you or view your profile. - Protect your data: Check what personal information you share on your channels — such as your real name, photos, or address — and review your privacy settings.
Consider using nicknames and unique passwords for each account. - Requesting Content Removal: You can submit a removal request to search engines like Google to have specific pages excluded from search results.
(However, these requests are less effective than reports made directly on social media platforms.) - Address protection: To prevent others from accessing your home address through the residents’ registry, you can apply for a confidentiality order (“Melderegistersperre”).
You’ll need to demonstrate a legitimate need for protection. We can provide you with a template for such an application. (Note: approval of this request is not guaranteed.) - Talk to others: You are not alone. Share your experience with people you trust. Friends, family, or others who’ve faced similar situations.
Connecting with others can help rebuild confidence and reduce isolation. We’re here to help facilitate that if you wish.
If you witness hate or violence online, you can make a real difference by taking action:
- Counter Speech: Publicly responding to hate speech shows that there is visible resistance, that victims are not alone.
This can support those affected and encourage bystanders to speak up as well. Projects such as LOVE-Storm offer free online training in counter speech. - Offering support: Reach out to the people affected. Listening and offering to look for solutions together can help them feel less isolated. Always be mindful of both their boundaries and your own emotional limits.
- Managing account for others: If you know and trust the person affected, you can temporarily help them by managing their social media accounts. For example, reporting comments, collecting evidence, blocking users, or helping to make the account usable again.
- Informing and educating: Hate speech is a societal problem, not an individual one. By learning more about it and raising awareness among others, you help make the issue visible and support those affected.
- Reporting incidents: You can also report hate speech incidents online. For example, through Respect!s reporting platform.
- You can submit screenshots or direct links to the hateful content.
Feeling threatened, whether the danger seems real or potential, can cause severe anxiety.
In such situations, it’s important to raise awareness in your environment and, if needed, take additional safety precautions.
If you are facing an immediate threat, contact the police right away.
We can advise you on whether to file a criminal complaint, and on what personal and legal aspects to consider when doing so.
Questions about law and legal proceedings
Screenshots can serve as important evidence that a specific person made a specific statement. It’s best to take them immediately, to document potentially criminal content before it’s deleted.
Since you may need to present these screenshots to the police, a public prosecutor, or a court, they must clearly show that a criminal act may have taken place and who is responsible.
To make your screenshot legally valid, make sure it includes:
- The exact URL (for social media, the specific post, not just the profile page)
- The date and time (ensure your device’s clock is visible if the platform only shows “four days ago”)
- The account name of the person who made the statement
- The context of the post or comment (for example, the original post and preceding comments)
- If possible, an additional screenshot of the profile page or imprint of the account owner
For detailed step-by-step instructions for specific platforms, including video sites like YouTube, see this: Quick Guide to Legally Valid Screenshots.
If you decide to file a complaint and take legal action, you’ll need solid evidence of the attacks.
Online posts and comments containing criminal content are often deleted quickly, which can be both a relief and a challenge, since it also removes potential proof.
Effective evidence preservation includes:
- Screenshots of the offensive content, including URL, username, date, and time
- Context: screenshots of previous posts or threads the content refers to
- For videos: downloading the relevant video files
- Clues about the perpetrator’s identity: such as the user’s profile page, website imprint, or patterns from other posts using the same name.
- Insults: e.g. direct verbal abuse or racist, homophobic, or transphobic insults
- Defamation or slander: false claims made intentionally to damage someone’s reputation
- Threats: explicit threats of violence or other crimes
- Coercion: threatening harmful consequences unless someone acts in a certain way
- Use of unconstitutional symbols: such as Nazi symbols or signs of banned extremist groups
- Incitement to hatred: promoting hatred or violence against groups based on ethnicity, religion, or other characteristics
- Public calls to commit crimes: e.g. calls for violence against political opponents
- Publication of private images or videos: without consent, especially intimate material
- Secret recordings: recording private conversations without consent
- Doxxing: publishing personal data like addresses or phone numbers, especially when obtained illegally
- Sending unwanted content: such as pornographic material or hateful propaganda
You can file a criminal complaint in person, in writing, or by emailing any police station.
In Thuringia, you can also do this directly via the online police portal. Alternatively, complaints can be sent directly to the public prosecutor’s office.
If you wish to initiate formal prosecution, you must also submit a criminal application (Strafantrag) expressing your will to prosecute.
This can be filed informally and in writing to the investigating authority.
Important: The application must usually be submitted within three months of becoming aware of the offense.
If you need help with filing a complaint or application, we’ll gladly assist you.
How does a criminal procedure work?
- After you file a complaint, the police begin investigations and may invite you to give a witness statement.
- Once the investigation is complete, the case is forwarded to the public prosecutor, who decides how to proceed.
- If no offense can be proven or the perpetrator remains unknown, the case may be closed.
- If an identifiable person is found and a criminal act can be proven, charges are filed, and the case may go to court.
- Even if a crime occurred, a case may still be closed, for example, due to “minor culpability.”
Advantages:
- Filing a criminal complaint is relatively simple and free of charge.
Disadvantages:
- Authorities sometimes show low priority for such cases, and many are closed early.
- When filing a personal complaint, your personal data becomes part of the investigation file, which the accused may access.
We and legal experts can advise you on how to protect your privacy.
Formal warning:
You can send an official cease-and-desist letter to individuals who have published offensive or false statements about you.
This letter demands the deletion of the content and a promise not to repeat it. If the person complies, a contractual penalty applies if the behavior continues.
If they refuse, you can apply for a preliminary injunction in court. These proceedings typically take several weeks or months. If granted, the court order prohibits further publication; violations may result in fines or imprisonment.
What can you act against?
- Statements that violate your personal rights, such as serious insults or false factual claims
- The publication of private or intimate data, including doxing
What can you request?
- Cease and desist – stop the statement and prevent repetition
- Retraction – public correction of false claims
- Compensation – in cases of severe personal rights violations
Advantages and disadvantages
Advantages:
- You can act independently without relying on law enforcement.
- Civil court rulings often have a strong deterrent effect.
Disadvantages:
- You must know the identity of the perpetrator.
- You must be willing to share some personal information.
- Civil lawsuits can involve significant costs if you lose or cannot recover expenses from the perpetrator.
Therefore, always seek legal advice before taking civil action.
Questions about elly’s counseling services.
Our team provides local, specialised support in Thuringia. We know the local legal framework and maintain a strong regional network of trusted partners. This local foundation is what makes our counseling unique.
Our services are funded by the state of Thuringia. Unfortunately, not every federal state has its own hate-speech counseling center yet.
Below you’ll find a (non-exhaustive) list of other organizations you can contact:
Nationwide
- Hatefree.de
- juuuport.de/beratung – peer counseling via messenger (cyberbullying & hate speech)
- fairsprechen.net – free legal information
- HateAid
- meldestelle-respect.de – free legal information and assistance with legal action
Berlin
- Amadeu Antonio Foundation – Civic Net Counseling (for organizations)
Hessen
- Hessen gegen Hetze – reporting platform only
- MeldeHelden app for reporting hate speech
Saxony
- Hass im Netz – SUPPORT counseling center of RAA Sachsen
Rhineland-Palatinate
- SoliNet – against hate and violence online in Rhineland-Palatinate
Austria
- Supportive: We stand firmly by your side and take your experiences seriously.
- Independent: We work independently from state authorities, the justice system and the police.
- Confidential: All counseling sessions are strictly confidential and protected by professional secrecy. We will never share information without your consent.
- Free of charge: Our counseling services are completely free for you.
- Anonymous: If you prefer, you can receive counseling without sharing your identity.
Our hate-speech counseling service is aimed at people who have experienced politically motivated verbal attacks online.
This includes individuals targeted because of:
- Racism (e.g. anti-Roma, anti-Muslim, or anti-Black racism)
- Antisemitism
- Anti-feminism
- Alternative or non-right-wing viewpoints
- Sexual orientation or gender identity (LGBTIQA* – including queer- and trans-phobic attacks)
- Social-darwinist motives (e.g. against unemployed, homeless, or disabled people)
- Commitment to human rights or opposition to right-wing extremism (including in political office)
- Journalistic work (e.g. reporting on the far right)
- Religious affiliation
We also offer counseling for witnesses, relatives, and friends of affected persons.
Please note:
We do not offer counseling for individuals who spread hate speech or discriminatory content themselves.
Persons identified as belonging to anti-democratic or right-wing extremist groups may be excluded from counseling after individual review.
We currently offer counseling in German and English. Counseling in other languages is also possible. We’ll just need a little extra time to arrange professional interpreters.
Your inquiry will only be read by elly’s counseling staff.All information is treated confidentially and is accessible only to our team.
We usually respond to inquiries submitted through our contact form within two working days. Holidays or illness may occasionally cause slight delays. If you haven’t heard from us within two days and need urgent support, please call us directly.
The data you enter in our contact form will be stored.
All counseling sessions are documented in a secure case file that only our counselors can access.If you do not wish your data to be stored, simply let us know. We will then delete all information immediately.
We’re happy to support you in person if needed. Counseling can take place in our offices, and we can accompany you to appointments with doctors, authorities, or court hearings. You decide which form of support feels right for you at the moment.
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