Twenty nine German police officers have been suspended for sharing doctored images of Muslim refugees in gas chambers and pictures of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on their phones, officials from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) told Wednesday.
They have also been accused of being complicit in using far-right chat servers where extremist content, such as Swastikas and other Nazi symbols, was shared which breaches the democratic German constitution.
German officers spreading Nazi propagandaÂ
German police and security agencies, who were already under immense pressure for not doing enough to disband violent nationalists and far-right extremists, now face humiliation over the incident of 29 police officers being suspended.
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It is a sensitive issue in a nation where recollection and memories of the World War II genocide of millions of Jews by the Nazis under Hitler prevails. “This is a disgrace for the NRW police,” said NRW Interior Minister Herbert Reul, announcing an investigation against the 29 male and female officers involved.
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Some of the suspects could be charged with spreading Nazi propaganda and hate speech and could be dismissed from the police altogether. Other police officials have been accused of failing to report the far-right extremist actions of their colleagues.
Reuters with additional input by GVS News Desk