> calling for physical action against individuals

They weren't raided for making true threats, but for letting the site become a "lawless realm" and/or for "sowing hate against different opinions and representatives of the country", charges so vague they could apply to almost any online forum or uppity news site.

Germany does not have the protections of free speech that the US has.

"Hate speech" is a real thing there that will land you in jail.

> "Hate speech" is a real thing there that will land you in jail.

This is wildly inaccurate. In Germany there are mainly three kinds of speech punishable by law:

(1) Defamation

(2) Volksverhetzung ("all jews must die")

(3) Incitement (there are two different kinds of this, one where a specific person is incited to do something criminal, and the other where you publicly instigate a group to do something criminal)

It is quite clear that these don't nearly cover everything that may be commonly considered "hate speech".

I agree that it is disconcerting that it was easier to make these vague charges effective than to charge them with inciting to violence or something similar. It appears to call for a refinement of legislation and perhaps general sentiment of the courts (which is often an extension of that of current culture).