Since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, cases of hate crimes with an anti-Semitic background have doubled in Germany. This is evident from the new situation report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Things have gotten much worse – this is the formula that sums up the current analysis of anti-Semitism in Germany by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution. It has been almost four years since the Federal Office first presented a situation report on anti-Semitism.
The update now presented covers the period since then and thus includes not only the years of the corona pandemic, but also the developments since the Hamas atrocities of October 7 last year and Israel’s subsequent military action in Gaza.
October 7 in particular led to a completely new situation, which is also depressingly documented by the figures on politically motivated crime presented last week by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
In 2023, the BKA counted 1,927 politically motivated crimes with an anti-Semitic background, the vast majority of which were committed after October 7. A total of 60,000 politically motivated crimes were detected last year – a new record high. In the area of so-called hate crimes, the number of cases with an anti-Semitic background doubled to more than 5,100.
“These figures should worry us all”
“These figures should worry us all,” said Thomas Haldenwang, President of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, when presenting the situation report. He spoke of a “rapid” increase in anti-Semitic crimes and acts of violence. “The potential danger for people and institutions of the Jewish faith in Germany has increased dramatically.”
The current situation report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution states that anti-Semitism is evident in all forms of extremism, albeit in different forms. In any case, anti-Semitism has always been firmly anchored in right-wing extremism.
However, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution points out that it is now often expressed “in public communication less in a direct form, but primarily in hints, codes and ciphers and especially in the form of conspiracy theories”.
The reason for this is that right-wing extremist actors from various scenes are aware that “open anti-Semitism is not well received by the majority population” and that they are also aware of the danger of legal consequences.
Alienation from democracy
Of central importance in this context are conspiracy narratives that spread low-threshold anti-Semitic patterns of thought and argumentation. In the course of the Corona protest movement, it was observed how dangerous such conspiracy narratives are, as they not only caught on in extremist circles, but “radiated into society at large and had an impact there,” the situation report states: from alienation from democracy to “blatant hostility to the constitution and open hatred of Jews.”
Social media in particular are of great importance for the spread of conspiracy ideologies. “Here we are seeing conspiracy theories and false reports on an ever-increasing scale,” says the head of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Haldenwang. This applies to all areas of extremism.
In addition to right-wing extremism, anti-Semitism is also a central component of Islamist ideologies. Since October last year, it has been observed that Islamist terrorist organizations such as the so-called Islamic State (IS), Al Qaeda and other jihadist groups have called for attacks “in and outside Israel, and in particular against Jews worldwide” – regardless of the fact that there are ideological differences with Hamas.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution points with concern to “the pull effect of Hamas’ terrorist acts” and Israel’s military action on terrorist organizations with a global agenda.
Destruction of Israel as a goal
In contrast, secular pro-Palestinian extremists do not act out of a religious motivation, but rather a political one, namely the destruction of the State of Israel. “Anti-Semitic agitation is often hidden behind supposed criticism of the Israeli state,” the situation report states, since no distinction is made between the state and the Jewish religious community.
This agitation has also been evident in Germany at pro-Palestinian demonstrations, particularly since October 2023. Here, too, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution notes that hostility towards Israel and anti-Semitism are the connecting element between movements and groups with otherwise different extremist attitudes.
If the situation in the Middle East continues to worsen, the domestic intelligence service sees a danger that people who identify as Palestinian – in Germany there are an estimated 225,000 people – will become alienated from the German state and German society.
“Essentially anti-Semitic terms” in Left-wing extremism
According to the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, anti-Semitism is “not an elementary component of left-wing extremist ideology.” However, the anti-imperialist spectrum uses terminology that comes from organizations such as Hamas and is “anti-Semitic at its core.” In addition, there is solidarity with extremist Palestinian organizations.
In the event of a further escalation of the Middle East conflict, it cannot be ruled out that there could be “actions at or in front of Israeli facilities”, including damage to property.