German politician convicted of hate crime after sounding alarm about Afghan rape gangs

A right-wing politician in Germany has been convicted of a hate crime and fined thousands of dollars for sharing statistics about the disproportionate number of gang rapes committed by immigrants, specifically Afghan nationals, and for questioning whether multiculturalism means accommodating rape culture.

Marie-Thérèse Kaiser is a member of the right-leaning Alternative for Germany. The 27-year-old women's safety advocate and former model serves as the party's only representative in the Rotenburg district council.

While campaigning during the 2021 federal election, Kaiser posted on social media, "Afghanistan refugees; Hamburg SPD mayor for 'unbureaucratic' acceptance; Welcoming culture for gang rape?"

The German newspaper Junge Freiheit reported that Kaiser was responding in August 2021 to socialist Hamburg Mayor Peter Tschentscher's announcement that he would take in 200 Afghan workers. Kaiser was evidently concerned about what impact the new cohort might have on local culture and safety.

Her post was reportedly accompanied by a graphic indicating that Afghan and African asylum seekers "are proportionally 40x and 70x more involved in gang rapes than Germans," citing government statistics.

The then-AfD candidate cited the statistics to justify her concern over uncontrolled immigration and the possibility of rape by "culturally alien masses."

Background

Mass immigration to Germany from Middle Eastern nations such as Afghanistan has coincided in recent years with a massive spike in violent crime, including rape.

The Pew Research Center indicated that between 2010 and 2016, Germany accepted over 670,000 refugees and 680,000 non-refugee immigrants. Of the roughly 1.35 million immigrants who flooded into Germany during that period, an estimated 850,000 were Muslims.

A government-commissioned study revealed in early 2018 that there was a 10.4% increase in violent crime at the height of the immigration crisis overseen by former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who had circumvented EU rules and effectively opened the union's doors to immigrants from Syria and other oriental states. Deutsche Welle reported that 90% of this violent crime increase was attributable to immigrants, predominantly males between the ages of 14 and 30.

Despite altogether amounting to less than 2% of the overall population at the time, the BBC indicated that over 10% of murder suspects and 11.9% of sex offenders were asylum seekers and refugees in 2017.

The situation has not improved.

Reuters reported last month that the number of criminals with non-German backgrounds continues to climb. In 2023, there was a 5.5.% increase in overall crime and a 13.5% increase in the number of suspects with foreign backgrounds.

"What the AfD has warned about for years can no longer be hidden ... new crime statistics have triggered a debate on 'foreigner crime,'" said Richard Graupner of the AfD in Bavaria.

Imported criminality has not only victimized countless Germans but created horrible new customs.

New Year's Eve, for instance, appears to have become an annual night of immigrant riots and gang assaults on German women. Blaze News previously reported that two-thirds of the rioters detained in the most recent explosion of New Year's violence were non-citizens, including 27 Afghans and 21 Syrians.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated in the aftermath on Jan. 4, "Good politics must clearly state what is happening: In major German cities we have a problem with certain young men with a migrant background who despise our state, commit acts of violence and are hardly reached by education and integration programs."

Outrage over this imported phenomenon has coincided with the rise of the right-leaning AfD party, which has been critical of the country's immigration policies.

The BBC noted that various high-profile incidents, such as the brutal rape and murder of 19-year-old medical student Maria Ladenburger by an Afghan criminal in 2016, "helped boost the country's far right."

German officials appear to have instead treated the AfD as the problem, harassing and censoring party members. With the AfD polling second nationally and state elections scheduled for later this year, there have even been discussions of banning the party outright.

Free speech ends where inconvenience begins

Kaiser was reportedly charged and convicted with incitement to hatred after raising concerns about a very real problem gripping the nation. She indicated in February that she had appealed the ruling and was scheduled to appear in court in May.

"Simply naming numbers, dates and facts is to be declared a criminal offense just because the establishment does not want to face reality," she wrote on X. "I will not allow myself to be silenced."

A court in Lower Saxony upheld the guilty verdict Monday.

The court was unmoved by Kaiser's argument that freedom of expression in politics, particularly in electoral campaigns, must enjoy special latitude in the spirit of democracy. According to Lower Saxony's local news outlet, the presiding judge stated, "Freedom of expression ends where human dignity begins."

Kaiser, identified by the judge as an "exemplary defendant" during her sentencing, must now pay a fine of over $7,000.

Kaiser, who indicated on Instagram that the courtroom was packed full of supporters along with her parents, said of the verdict, "The whole world is amazed at this decision by the German courts. After even Elon Musk took up my case, I received numerous letters from supporters and press inquiries."

The politician was referencing Musk's Monday response in which he wrote, "Are you saying the fine was for repeating accurate government statistics? Was there anything inaccurate in what she said?"

"My trust in the German constitutional state was once again severely shaken yesterday, but all the letters give me courage and give me confidence," added Kaiser.

Marie-Thérèse Kaiser's original campaign video

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