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| German AfD MP under fire for anti-Muslim new year tweets | German AfD MP under fire for anti-Muslim new year tweets |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| A German politician is facing a police investigation over inflammatory comments made on New Year's Eve. | A German politician is facing a police investigation over inflammatory comments made on New Year's Eve. |
| Beatrix von Storch, deputy leader of Germany's far-right AfD party, had her Twitter account suspended on Monday following anti-Muslim remarks. | Beatrix von Storch, deputy leader of Germany's far-right AfD party, had her Twitter account suspended on Monday following anti-Muslim remarks. |
| She accused Cologne police of appeasing "barbaric, gang-raping Muslim hordes of men" after they tweeted a new year message in Arabic. | She accused Cologne police of appeasing "barbaric, gang-raping Muslim hordes of men" after they tweeted a new year message in Arabic. |
| Police are deciding whether she should be charged with incitement to hatred. | Police are deciding whether she should be charged with incitement to hatred. |
| The police force tweeted its message in a number of languages, including English and French as well as Arabic and German. | The police force tweeted its message in a number of languages, including English and French as well as Arabic and German. |
| Twitter suspended Ms Storch's account for 12 hours in response to her post, saying it breached the site's rules. | Twitter suspended Ms Storch's account for 12 hours in response to her post, saying it breached the site's rules. |
| She then re-posted the same message on Facebook, where it was also blocked for reasons of incitement. | She then re-posted the same message on Facebook, where it was also blocked for reasons of incitement. |
| Police in Cologne told German news magazine Der Spiegel that it was investigating if the member of parliament had committed a criminal offence, but stressed that doing so was normal procedure. | Police in Cologne told German news magazine Der Spiegel that it was investigating if the member of parliament had committed a criminal offence, but stressed that doing so was normal procedure. |
| The controversy comes only months after Germany enacted new hate speech laws. | The controversy comes only months after Germany enacted new hate speech laws. |
| The country will now enforce fines on social media sites which do not remove "obviously illegal" posts. | The country will now enforce fines on social media sites which do not remove "obviously illegal" posts. |
| Ms Storch's party defended her comments, claiming that the removal of her remarks was a form of censorship. | Ms Storch's party defended her comments, claiming that the removal of her remarks was a form of censorship. |
| Writing on Facebook, AfD leader Alice Weidel wrote that authorities were submitting to "imported, marauding, groping, abusive, knife-stabbing migrant mobs". | Writing on Facebook, AfD leader Alice Weidel wrote that authorities were submitting to "imported, marauding, groping, abusive, knife-stabbing migrant mobs". |
| Cologne has been at the centre of a controversy over New Year's Eve celebrations since two years ago, when a large number of assaults against women - allegedly by men from migrant backgrounds - marred the festivities. | Cologne has been at the centre of a controversy over New Year's Eve celebrations since two years ago, when a large number of assaults against women - allegedly by men from migrant backgrounds - marred the festivities. |
| The following year, police in the city came under criticism for questioning hundreds of men of North African descent. | The following year, police in the city came under criticism for questioning hundreds of men of North African descent. |
| And on New Year's Eve 2017, a special "safety zone" for women was set up in Berlin for the first time. |