German police suspend 29 officers 'for sharing neo-Nazi images of Adolf Hitler'

A file photo of police in western Germany. Twenty-nine German officers have been suspended for sharing neo-Nazi images
Oliver Dietze/DPA/AFP via Getty Images
April Roach @aprilroach2817 September 2020

A German police force has suspended 29 officers accused of sharing pictures of Adolf Hitler and logging into far-right chatrooms.

The officers from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), west Germany, risk losing their jobs as an investigation into the matter is conducted.

Those involved, who include men and women, are also accused of sharing pictures of refugees in gas chambers and using chat rooms where swastikas and Nazi symbols were shared.

Some of the officers were accused of failing to report their colleagues.

The state's interior minister Herbet Reul said on Wednesday: "This news has hit the police at its core. It is a disgrace for the NRW police."

Mr Reul added that the investigation involves more than 100 pieces of "disgusting neo-Nazi, racist and anti-refugee vitriol".

"Right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis have absolutely no place in the North Rhine-Westphalia police, our police," he said.

It is illegal to display Nazi symbols in Germany and some of the 29 officers could face charges of disseminating Nazi propaganda and hate speech.

It comes after prosecutors said in July that they had arrested a former police officer and his wife who are facing accusations of sending threats to well-known figures of immigrant backgrounds.

Their alleged victims are said to include several lawmakers of Turkish descent.

The emails were signed "NSU 2.0", a reference to the "National Socialist Underground" neo-Nazi gang, which killed 10 people between 2000 and 2007.