The holocaust denial site kreuz.net has finally attracted the attention of German authorities. As I've previously posted, the owners and operators of this site are anonymous and the content clearly violates German law with respect to incitement ("Volksverhetzung"). Now the Verfassungsschutz (Office for the Protection of the Constitution) is investigating the site, which routinely spreads hate against gays and lesbians as well as Muslims, Jews, democrats, and essentially all non-Catholics.
Joachim Frank discusses the actions of the Verfassungsschutz in the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger:
Diese ganze Camouflage ist jetzt ein Fall für den Verfassungsschutz geworden. Und da gehört sie auch hin. Denn die Art, wie die namenlosen kreuz.net-Macher Andersdenkende verunglimpfen, beleidigen, mit Schmähungen überziehen und gegen Werte wie Toleranz und die Einhaltung demokratischer Spielregeln hetzen, widerspricht nicht nur jedem Anstandsgefühl, sondern verletzt Gesetze und Grundnormen, etwa den besonderen Schutz von Minderheiten.
(This entire camoflage has become a case for the Verfassungschutz. And that's where it belongs. For the way these nameless kreuz.net-operators vilify and insult, heap scorn on those with different beliefs and incite hatred against values such as toleranz or democratic priniciples stands in opposition to not just to common decency, but also violates laws and basic norms, such as protection of minorities.)
My sense is that the Verfassungsschutz is basically incompetent and will not succeed in determining who is behind kreuz.net, much less shut it down.
Here's a tip: kreuz.net is hosted in the United States by Chicago-based Steadfast Networks, a company which hosts a number of anti-Semitic and Holocaust denial sites. The officials in Germany can simply call up the CEO, Karl Zimmerman (tel. 312-602-2689). He may be more receptive to their concerns, but I doubt it: doing business with Nazis and other hate groups is simply too profitable.
