As more and more politicians experience hate and violence, a previously unpublished study by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) reveals. According to the report, aired on the ZDF’s “Frontal” program, over a third of all municipal politicians surveyed in the past half-year have been victims of insults.
“We’re talking about many forms of insults in the analog space, such as face-to-face verbal abuse, written letters, or phone calls” said Kirsten Eberspach from the BKA to the program. “What we also see is an increase in digital insults on social media.”
According to the BKA’s numbers, 80 percent of those who have experienced insults struggle with physical and psychological consequences, including depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.
For the first time, the study also inquired about experiences with so-called “Deep Fakes” and disinformation. Up to 80 percent of the respondents reported having already had such experiences, with more than a fifth stating that they had been personally targeted with AI-generated “Deep Fakes” or disinformation.
Alexander Throm, the CDU’s parliamentary group’s interior policy spokesperson, is calling for more severe consequences for politicians who are the targets of violence, including the temporary revocation of their active and passive voting rights. “In the case of serious crimes, the perpetrators should have their active and passive voting rights revoked for a period of three to five years” Throm said to the program.
The BKA study was conducted in collaboration with the local government associations, in which municipal officials and council members are regularly surveyed about their experiences with hate and violence in both the digital and analog realms. Around 10,000 main and honorary municipal officials were invited to participate, with 20 percent responding to the latest survey. The results of the ongoing survey are expected to be presented in early March.