German Parliament Speaker Combats Online Hate with Personal Phone Calls to Critics

Julia Klöckner, president of Germany's federal parliament, has found an unusual way to combat online hate speech: she picks up the phone and calls the people who send her nasty comments. The Christian Democratic politician says these direct conversations often turn hostile online exchanges into normal discussions, highlighting how social media creates echo chambers that prevent balanced debate.

Klöckner told German television channel ZDF that she makes these calls when she's "in a good mood" and has time during long car trips. She reaches out to people who leave negative comments or send emails that include their phone numbers.

The response surprises most people. "Many are shocked when I'm the one calling personally," she said. What follows are often genuine conversations that wouldn't happen online.

Here's what makes this approach interesting: it exposes how differently people behave behind screens versus face-to-face. Klöckner noted that callers frequently tell her, "I notice that in the real world we treat each other completely differently than when we don't look into each other's eyes."

This touches on a bigger problem with social media platforms. They create closed bubbles that don't allow space for balanced discussion. The digital and real worlds blend together, especially for young people, creating confusion about acceptable behavior.

Klöckner uses a simple question to make her point: "Would you want your children to use such words?" This often shifts the conversation and makes people reconsider their online behavior.

The approach comes from experience. As Germany's former federal minister for food and agriculture, Klöckner received death threats during her government service. "This happens, and that's why there are people who take care of my security," she said.

But rather than just accepting online hostility as part of political life, she's testing whether direct human contact can break through the digital barriers that fuel hate speech. Her phone calls suggest that much online aggression stems from the disconnect between digital and real-world interactions.

The method won't work for every politician or solve the broader problem of online harassment. But it shows how personal engagement might cut through the noise of social media echo chambers, even if just one conversation at a time.