Radicalism - Further assaults against refugees and their housing.
In the first three months of this year, Brandenburg police have recorded 75 instances of criminal offenses against refugees and their accommodations, a five-case increase compared to the same period last year. State parliamentarian Andrea Johlige from the Left party requested this information from the Interior Ministry in Potsdam. These numbers are tentative as more reports from police investigations might increase the total.
Notably, propaganda offenses were quite prominent during this period. Police statistics reveal that such offenses, which include Hitler salutes, swastika graffiti, among others, occurred 30 times. Additionally, there were 12 instances of physical harm, plus other offenses like insults or threats. Four cases specifically targeted refugee housing, with ongoing investigations into property damage in Lubben and Forst.
Regarding the treatment of refugees in the past year, the police reported a slight increase in attacks on them and their shelters. According to the Interior Ministry, the overall number of criminal offenses was 309, up from 215 the year before. It was just 174 in 2021.
In the first quarter of 2024, Brandenburg police experienced a drop in racially motivated crimes. From January to March, the police documented 65 events with nearly all being right-wing-motivated. These instances included incitement to hatred cases. As an aside, this is a ten-offense reduction from the same period the year before. However, the figures might increase due to more reports coming in.
For the entirety of the previous year, the police recorded a 25-case reduction in racially motivated crimes, bringing the total to 278. Interestingly, propaganda attacks accounted for most of these crimes with 198 instances. There were also 15 cases of physical harm, and almost all cases were deemed right-wing-motivated by the police.
