Facebook Post on Aylan Could Get Man Imprisoned

Man allegedly celebrated drowning of Syrian migrant child
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 5, 2015 11:21 AM CDT
Facebook Post on Aylan Could Get Man Imprisoned
Candles are placed next to an image of Syrian boy Aylan Kurdi, who drowned earlier this week. A German man is facing prison time for allegedly celebrating the boy's death on Facebook.   (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)

After a Berlin man allegedly posted a photo of a drowned Syrian child to Facebook with the message "we are not mourning but celebrating it," German police raided his home today, seizing a computer and two cellphones, the AP reports. The man is now facing up to three years in prison for "defaming the memory of the deceased and incitement to hatred." The investigation into the Facebook post is part of Germany's crackdown on extremists stoking hatred of migrants on social media. Hundreds of migrants began arriving in Germany by train today. Earlier this week, the photo of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, who drowned off the coast of Turkey while fleeing his home country, drew worldwide attention to the migrant crisis. (More migrants stories.)

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