International crimes [1]

Article 321: Genocide

Anyone who, with the intention of destroying in total or in part a group defined as such through its belonging to a church or religious community, a race, a nation, an ethnic group or a State, kills members of the group, inflicts serious physical (Article 84(1)) or mental injury on them, subjects the group to living conditions likely to cause death to all or part of the group, imposes measures designed to prevent births within that group or forcibly transfers children of the group to another group is guilty of the crime of genocide.  Genocide is punishable by life imprisonment.  Conspiracy to commit genocide is also punishable. 

Incitement to hatred / Dissemination of racist ideas [2]

Prohibition Statute – “Prohibition of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP)” (8 May 1945): Under this law all National Socialist organizations and institutions were dissolved and their re-establishment forbidden.  Activities of any kind on behalf of the NSDAP or in pursuit of its goals were prohibited and made punishable by law.

Article 3g covers anyone acting in a manner inspired by National Socialism including use of political slogans for propaganda purposes or the favourable depiction of the violent measures taken under national Socialism if they occur in such a way that gives expression to the deplored objectives and moral concepts of National Socialism.  Xenophobic pronouncements are to be regarded as meeting the criteria of the office if there is a manifestation of the National Socialist attitude motivated and justified by racist ideology if foreigners are rejected specifically on the basis of their alleged racial inferiority and if such ideas are expressed in a language reminiscent of the propaganda vocabulary of the Third Reich.  The use for propaganda purposes of National Socialist symbols and slogans is prohibited. 

§ 283 Verhetzung

(1) Wer öffentlich auf eine Weise, die geeignet ist, die öffentliche Ordnung zu gefährden, zu einer feindseligen Handlung gegen eine im Inland bestehende Kirche oder Religionsgesellschaft oder gegen eine durch ihre Zugehörigkeit zu einer solchen Kirche oder Religionsgesellschaft, zu einer Rasse, zu einem Volk, einem Volksstamm oder einem Staat bestimmte Gruppe auffordert oder aufreizt, ist mit Freiheitsstrafe bis zu zwei Jahren zu bestrafen.

(2) Ebenso ist zu bestrafen, wer öffentlich gegen eine der im Abs. 1 bezeichneten Gruppen hetzt oder sie in einer die Menschenwürde verletzenden Weise beschimpft oder verächtlich zu machen sucht.

[Publicly inducing or inciting – in a manner likely to endanger public order – the commission of a hostile act against a church or religious community in the country or against a group identified by belonging to such a church or religious community, a race, a nation, an ethnic group or a State (para. 1), or publicly stirring up hatred against such a group indicated in para. 1, or publicly disparaging it in a manner violating human dignity or attempting to belittle it (para. 2) constitutes incitement under Article 283.]

Holocaust denial [3]

Prohibition Statute: The denial of the mass extermination of human beings under National Socialist rule is covered if it is accompanied by a corresponding intention to engage in National Socialist revivalism. 

Article 3h forbids any denial, gross trivialization, approval or justification of the genocide committed under national Socialism or other National Socialist crimes if carried out publicly. 

Personal violence

Section 115 penalizes public insult, injury or threat to injure.

According to Section 117 (para. 3), an offence provided for in Section 115 is pursued by the Public Prosecutor with the consent of the victim, provided that it is committed for reason of the injured party's belonging to a church or religious community established in the country or a group determined by their affiliation to such a church or religious community, or to a race, nation, ethnic group or state and that it constitutes a violation of human dignity.

Destruction of property

Civil rights violations

Under administrative criminal law, offences include dissemination of National Socialist ideas, unjustifiably disadvantaging persons solely on the grounds of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin, religion or a disability or preventing them from entering places or making use of services intended for general public use, and discriminatory revocation of licences to do business. 

Racist organizations [4]

Racist cyber-crime

Aggravating circumstances

In connection with sentencing for a general criminal offence falling within the competence of the courts, Article 33(5) regards cases in which the offender acted out of racist, xenophobic or other particularly reprehensible motives as involving aggravating circumstances. 

Bias types [5]

Race, national origin, ethnicity, religion, “other reprehensible motives”.