Last year witnessed a notable surge in politically-motivated hate crimes directed at politicians.
According to a report from last year, media outlet "Der Spiegel" revealed a significant surge in hate-fuelled crimes against politicians and officials, as reported by the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). The BKA cited 5388 incidents, marking an escalation of 29.1% from 2022. SPD's President of the Bundestag, Bärbel Bas, denounced the employment of violence in political discussions.
A majority of the instances involved derogatory remarks, frequently disseminated anonymously via the internet. Vandalism was another common issue. Remarkably, the count of violent incidents (118) experienced a decrease by one-third.
In 2023, more than half of these complaints were successfully resolved. Authorities identified 3099 suspects, with roughly 80% being male. Three out of every four cases could not be traced back to any political ideology.
Green Party politicians endured the most frequent victimhood, facing 1032 instances of this form of politically inspired crime. They were followed by SPD (536), FDP (434), Union (324), and AfD (222). However, it's essential to note that the BKA doesn't always record the political affiliation of the victim.
Bundestag President Bas voiced her concern regarding this pattern, disregarding the release of BKA's statistics. She informed the weekly newspaper "Das Parlament" that this issue was particularly prominent at the local level, resulting in a decrease in individuals participating in politics.
"Verbal disagreements, even intense ones, are a part of democracy," remarked Bas. "However, if violence is utilized as a tool for political discourse, democracy faces a severe threat."
The protesters Outside the parliament building voiced their opinions loudly, causing a commotion. Despite the loud protests, the debate inside the chamber continued uninterrupted.
