According to media reports, almost 29,000 right-wing extremist crimes were recorded in 2023 – many more than in the previous year. Anti-Semitic crimes have also increased sharply, especially since the Hamas attack on Israel.
Crimes motivated by right-wing extremism have increased significantly in Germany in the past year. In the area of ”politically motivated crime – right-wing” the authorities recorded 28,945 crimes – compared to 23,493 the year before. This emerges from a response from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to a request from the Left group in the Bundestag.
According to the figures available to the epd agency and the taz newspaper, there were also more right-wing extremist acts of violence. For 2023, 1,270 crimes were provisionally counted; in the previous year there were 1,170 violent crimes.
Strong increase more anti-Semitic crimes
In addition, the number of anti-Semitic crimes has increased particularly sharply since the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th. In the last quarter alone, 2,782 anti-Semitic crimes were counted, it said. These are already more crimes than in the entire previous year. For 2022, the BKA recorded a total of 2,641 anti-Semitic crimes.
On Monday, Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser reported on the impact of the situation in the Middle East on the security situation in Germany, without giving specific figures. She told the Germany editorial network: “Since the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent Gaza war, there has been a drastic increase in anti-Semitic crimes.”
The final statistics on politically motivated crime for 2023 are due to be presented in May. Late registrations can increase the numbers that were now mentioned in the inquiry.
Pau: “Right-wing rhetoric is omnipresent”
Bundestag Vice President Petra Pau spoke of a “devastating scale” of right-wing crimes. “In times in which discriminatory positions are becoming increasingly normalized and right-wing rhetoric is omnipresent, the perpetrators can feel legitimized in their actions,” the left-wing politician told the taz. The escalating situation is unbearable and dangerous for those affected.