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

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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."

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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."

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.

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