Germany's justice minister asks Facebook to crack down faster on racist postings, delete them

Germany's justice minister says he wants Facebook to delete racist content faster amid a surge in anti-migrant pages and comments on the social networking site.

Minister Heiko Maas on Thursday invited Facebook representatives to a meeting to discuss ways in which the company can react sooner when it's alerted to illegal content.

Germany has strict laws against incitement to racial hatred, a reaction to the country's Nazi past. Officials are concerned about a rise in attacks against refugees and asylum shelters over the past year.

Facebook said it took Maas' concerns "very seriously" but didn't immediately confirm that it would meet with Maas.