Report online hate
Insults, threats and hate speech against queer people don’t have to stay online. Report them to the Medienanstalt Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein and have them removed.
You will be taken to the website of the Medienanstalt Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein. There you enter your report yourself.
Report in three steps
Copy the link
Copy the address (URL) of the post, comment, profile or channel.
Choose a category
In the form, choose “Hassrede oder politischer Extremismus” (hate speech or political extremism).
Describe it briefly
Write a few sentences about what happened. You can attach screenshots.
Only the link, the category and a description are required. Name and email are optional, so the Medienanstalt can keep you updated. Attachments: up to three files (image, PDF or video), up to 10 MB each.
Why report via the Medienanstalt?
Social networks check posts against their own community standards. Some hate comments stay up there even though they are illegal.
The Medienanstalt Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein (MA HSH) checks against the law. This is based on the federal states’ treaties on media and youth media protection.
Cooperation partner of the STOP the HATE campaign
What happens after you report
-
MA HSH checks
It checks your report for breaches of legal provisions.
-
It pushes for removal
If there is a breach, it calls for quick removal, either directly with the provider or through a special reporting status with social networks.
-
It follows up
If nothing is done, MA HSH can impose penalty payments and fines on providers. It works with law enforcement so that the authors are held accountable too.
What you can report
Anything online that seems legally questionable to you. The Medienanstalt checks whether it is illegal.
Better to report once too often than once too little.
Insult (Beleidigung, Section 185 StGB) and threats
Abuse, threats and defamation against queer people.
Incitement and calls to hate
Posts that call for hate or violence or attack human dignity. This can be incitement to hatred (Volksverhetzung).
Entire profiles and channels
You can also report websites, channels and profiles, not just individual posts.
If you are affected yourself
Reporting makes sure content can be checked and removed. If you were attacked yourself, you can also file a police report.
Secure evidence
Record links and screenshots properly.
Report it to the police
How reporting works and what happens afterwards.
Police Onlinewache (online police station)
File a police report online.
Find counselling
Contact points and support services in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony and nationwide.
“There is no room for hate and incitement in the digital world either. We want everyone affected to know: you are not alone. There are good ways to fight back, and we will help you.”
Eva-Maria Sommer, Director of the Medienanstalt Hamburg/Schleswig-HolsteinSource: MA HSH press release of 9 July 2024
Together against online hate
MA HSH works with public prosecutors, law enforcement agencies and more than 130 counselling services. The aim is to remove hate posts quickly and hold the authors accountable.
Read the press release (PDF) (opens in a new tab) To the MA HSH website (opens in a new tab)
Seen online hate?
Report it now. It only takes a few minutes.