Facebook must be tougher on racist posts and Holocaust denial, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas has said.

Mr Maas accused Facebook of doing too little to both prevents racist posts on the social media platform and to remove the hate posts, even after they have been flagged and reviewed.

He said that if Facebook wanted to do business in Germany it would have to respect the country’s zero-tolerance rules, even if they went against the freedom of speech rules in other countries in which the online platform operates.

In an interview with Reuters, Mr Maas said: "One thing is clear: if Facebook wants to do business in Germany, then it must abide by German laws. It doesn't matter that we, because of historical reasons, have a stricter interpretation of freedom of speech than the United States does.

"Holocaust denial and inciting racial hatred are crimes in Germany and it doesn't matter if they're posted on Facebook or uttered out in the public on the market square," he added.

A spokeswoman for Facebook said the company took his concerns seriously and it was interested in meeting the justice minister.