Politically motivated crimes in Germany reached highest-ever level in 2023

Politically motivated crimes in Germany,which havebeentrackedfor more than 20 years, reached their highest-ever level in 2023, the news agency Associated Press reported on Tuesday (May 21)citingthe Federal Criminal Police Office. In total, Germany recorded60,028 politically motivated crimes in 2023.

The report said that right-wing politically motivated crimes increased by 23 per cent in 2023 to 28,945 cases, of which 1,270 were violent. Left-wing crimes increased by 11 per centto 7,777, of which 916 were violent.

On Tuesday,Federal Criminal PoliceOffice'sPresidentHolger Münch saidthat politicallymotivated criminality almost doubled within the last decade and continued to rise."Parts of the population are tending towards radicalization. These tendencies include attempts to delegitimise the state and its monopoly on violence,”Münch added.

'Our democracy is under pressure'

On May 4, Matthias Ecke, a candidate from ChancellorOlafScholz'scentre-left SocialDemocratswas attackedwhile campaigning for a seat in the European Parliament.Authorities believe that the four men arrested in connection with the attackwere motivated by right-wing beliefs. Ecke suffered severe injuries.

A few days after this attack,a 74-year-old man with a history of mental illness assaultedBerlin'stop economic official, who sustained minor injuries.

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Addressing a press conference,German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said that Germany was a strong democracy, but its"democracy was under pressure."

Drastic rise in antisemitic crimes

There has also been a drastic rise incrimes designated as antisemitic to the highest level since tracking began. According toHolger Münch, such crimes doubled last year to5,164. This increase is related to the Israel-Hamas warwhichstarted in October last year, the top security official added.

Hate crimes in thecountry,increased by about 48% last year to 17,000, and crimes against asylum seekers increased by 75 per cent, bothMünch and Faeser said.

(With inputs from agencies)