Eighteen police officers in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt are to be dismissed for suspected participation in a class chat glorifying violence and containing antisemitic, racist and national socialist content.
In a new antisemitic scandal in Germany, eighteen police officers in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt are to be dismissed for suspected participation in a class chat glorifying violence and containing antisemitic, racist and national socialist content as students at a police academy, reports the Jüdische Allgemeine.
„According to our current knowledge, eleven of the eighteen police officers actively posted messages, videos and pictures with such content in the chat group,” said Christian Democrat Interior Minister Tamara Zieschang.
The internal chat group of young police officers of a police academy existed from September 2017 until December 2021. At least 50 of the more than 5,000 messages were antisemitic, racist or glorified violence.
„I am not the only one who is shocked by the content of this class chat. It is a disgrace for the entire state police,” Zieschang said.
Four of the eighteen police officers have been prosecuted for using symbols of unconstitutional organisations, incitement against the community and distribution of animal pornography.
The Jewish community in Saxony-Anhalt expressed shock at the news. „The police represent democratic principles and the constitution of the country. It is the responsibility of the police and the Interior Ministry to enshrine these values and principles in the education and training of police officers,” the Jewish community of the state warned.
However, the regional association of Jewish communities in Saxony-Anhalt warned against generalising the incident, stressing that most police officers in the state are doing an excellent job. Incidents motivated by antisemitism also occur in other professions, „this issue is not just a matter for the police, but unfortunately is a widespread problem in society as a whole,” they stressed.
„It is right that immediate disciplinary action has been taken against those involved in the chat who are still in public service. Further processing of the case is essential to have confidence in the police in the future,” stressed CDU spokesperson Chris Schulenburg.
source: tev.hu
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