It's not just hate speech. "Volksverhetzung" implies that it is also incitement to commit crimes. When you stand on the street and loudly demand that specific

It's not just hate speech. "Volksverhetzung" implies that it is also incitement to commit crimes. When you stand on the street and loudly demand that specific people or groups of people should be killed or injured in specific ways, that's a different matter from just saying those same people shouldn't be allowed into the country or should be deported. One is demanding a change in policy or political action. The other is demanding vigilante "justice" and lynching. This has nothing to do with Merkel (who btw is a conservative -- her refugee policy has been the single most liberal thing she did since entering office) and everything to do with upholding the constitution and the state of law. Whether you demand the murder of refugees, nazis or antifa, if you openly do so while addressing the public, you are committing a crime under German law. The law protects all humans, not just refugees.