Social gatherings or events - In Brandenburg, over a thousand election posters were targeted for vandalism or destruction in a two-month period.
Over the past two months, the police in Brandenburg have recorded around 1000 incidents of election posters being vandalized or stolen. These incidents occurred between April 8th and June 2nd, and they involved roughly 900 incidents of vandalism and close to 100 reports of theft. Additionally, around 50 cases involved the use of unconstitutional symbols and a few incidents of vandalism. There was one instance where the peace was breached.
Officials also reported attacks on political figures and campaigners. During the same time frame, a low double-digit number of complaints regarding insults and threats were registered by the police. A low single-digit number of complaints involving bodily harm were also reported. According to the head of the police department in the Interior Ministry, Anja Germer, there is no clear indication that one specific party is the target of these crimes. The data from the State Criminal Police Office includes some information from before April 8th as well. On June 9th, there will be municipal elections and European elections, and on September 22nd, a new state parliament will be elected.
The number of incidents has already seen a significant increase this year. From January to March, the police tallied up 75 politically motivated crimes targeted at individuals in office or representing political parties, a substantial increase from 14 instances during the same period in 2023. The number of politically-motivated attacks on politicians and party offices increased from 14 to 16 during the first three months of this year.
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The damage to election posters in Brandenburg has been extensive, with over 1000 incidents of vandalism or theft reported by the police. These incidents not only targeted political parties but also included the use of unconstitutional symbols. This period of crime against election posters coincides with the approach of both municipal and European elections on June 9th. Although the police have yet to identify a single party as the primary target, instances of politically motivated attacks on politicians and party offices have increased this year. The Ministry of the Interior in Potsdam is closely monitoring the situation to ensure a fair and peaceful election process.
