Middle East conflict sparks increased violence in Germany

Middle Eastern conflict escalates violence in Germany.

The Federal Criminal Police Office expects to register over 60,000 politically motivated crimes in 2023, representing a significant uptick. Nearly half of these incidents will be perpetrated by right-wing extremists. However, another group has become more active than ever before.

Ever since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, there has been a surge in politically motivated crimes related to the Middle East conflict in Germany. In the previous year, the police received reports of 4,369 crimes in this context, compared to a mere 61 in the year prior, according to the political crime statistics released by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) in Berlin.

BKA head Holger Münch commented, "The situation has been vastly different since October 7." A total of 1,927 of these incidents are deemed anti-Semitic, with the majority committed after October 7. The police classify more than half of the nearly 4,400 recorded acts as stemming from a "foreign ideology." As a result, they believe a non-religious ideology from abroad significantly influenced the crimes. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser referred to the "disgusting hatred of Jews," calling it alarming.

Green Party leader Omid Nouripour deemed the BKA figures "alarming" and suggested that all democrats must take action. Nouripour stated in an interview with ntv.de, "The significant increase in right-wing extremist crimes is particularly concerning." Furthermore, since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 7, there has been a "dramatic increase in anti-Semitic crimes committed by perpetrators from all extremist camps."

Nouripour insisted that authorities should examine ways to better protect democracy and strengthen security forces. He emphasized the importance of better equpment and increased coordination among security organizations. The Green politician emphasized the necessity for consistent legal action and preventive measures, such as democracy education.

A Wave of Crimes

In 2023, the number of politically motivated crimes reported to the police soared to 60,028, a record high since these statistics were introduced in 2001, albeit an increase of less than 2% from the previous year. Right-wing motivations accounted for almost half of these cases. "Right-wing extremism remains the greatest extremist danger to our democracies and citizens of our country," declared Faeser. Of the 60,000+ cases, 3,561 involved violent acts, a 12% decrease from 2022.

The statistics on politically motivated crime are considered "incoming statistics," as crimes are only recorded when they come to the attention of the police. This can lead to double-counting if incidents fall under multiple categories.

The majority of offenses (one-third) were propaganda offenses, like displaying unconstitutional organization insignia or slogans. The remaining top categories were property damage (15.50%), insults (13.95%), inciting hatred (12.77%), coercion and threats, followed by violation of the right to assemble.

The Internet Fueled a Surge in Crimes

The number of politically motivated internet-related crimes increased sharply to 15,488 - an uptick of 60.08%. There was a particularly marked increase in cases involving religious and foreign ideologies. However, approximately 7,000 crimes from the right-wing spectrum made up the largest share.

The number of politically motivated violent acts reported to the police decreased by 12% from 2022. Although the 1,270 incidents from the right-wing spectrum accounted for most of these, 916 cases were attributable to the left-wing spectrum. "The inhibition thresholds for attacking political opponents and on-duty police officers with extreme brutality have fallen in the left-wing extremist scene," remarked Faeser. These violent acts included assaults (mostly fueled by right-wing sentiment), and three completed homicides. A total of 1,759 people, more than the preceding year (+5.96%), were injured as a result of politically driven aggression. The majority of these victims (714 people) were casualties of an act instigated by right-wing motives - averaging two injured people per day, calculated Faeser.

Hate crimes witnessed a significant surge (47.63%), amounting to 17,007 instances. This category encompasses situations where someone has acted due to prejudice against specific groups. If police suspect multiple motives, an incident can appear multiple times in the statistics. The largest group, accounting for 15,087, is classified as "xenophobic," primarily targeted at nationality. The statistics also feature "xenophobic" motives, which are more specifically linked to suspected nationality. Anti-Semitic and racist motives were also widespread.

Crimes against religious minorities have shot up by more than double to a staggering 7029, with the majority targeting religious figures. A more positive note is that crimes against the state and its representatives have decreased by over 25% to 15,050. But this progress could be short-lived, as crimes against people involved in politics or holding government positions have also seen a significant increase (29.12% to 6,6508). Faeser described the situation as a "spiral of violence."

Münch expects this trend to continue with the approaching European and state/local elections, predicting an uptick in cases. While the motive behind these attacks is still uncertain, an overwhelming majority (over 90%) couldn't be classified as right-wing, left-wing, foreign, or religious ideology-driven. It's unclear why. The number of crimes against the police, including violent acts, on the other hand, has dropped.

The environmental group, Last Generation, and its protests have left their mark on the figures too. In 2023, the police logged an alarming 3303 cases of climate and environment crimes, nearly twice the number from the previous year. The vast majority (over 75%) could be attributed to the left-wing group. These offenses ranged from property damage to intimidation and threats.

Ongoing risk of jihadist violence

Religious-related crimes have skyrocketed to 1458 incidents, characterized by hate speech, threats, and property damage. Nearly all of the 94 "terrorism-quality" offenses also fell under this category. The BKA and the Ministry of the Interior attest to a "persistent high-level threat from Islamist extremism/terrorism." Germany remains in the crosshairs of terrorist organizations like the Islamic State (IS) and al-Qaeda, and their offshoots. The "persistent high risk" of jihad-inspired violence remains a concern. Most incidents involve individual or smaller groups with actions often claimed by terrorist organizations for propaganda purposes.

As restrictions easing up, politically motivated crimes connected to the pandemic have largely abated. Compiling 1662 offenses in 2021 compared to 13,988 the previous year, roughly half of the latter were solved (46.85%). However, the rate for violent crimes was higher at 63.35%. Only investigations where at least one suspect is identified by January 31 of the following year are classified as solved.