Significant rise in the number of anti-Semitic crimes in Germany
The number of anti-Semitic crimes in Germany has risen significantly since the attack on Israel by the radical Islamic group Hamas. Since October 7, 680 anti-Semitic crimes have been reported to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), said BKA President Holger Münch on Thursday at his office's autumn conference in Wiesbaden. Of these, more than 550 were related to the Middle East conflict. This figure is well above the average.
In total, 3744 crimes were reported to the BKA in connection with the escalation. "Of these, more than 460 are violent crimes," said Münch. The events in the Middle East had a direct influence on the radicalization process in Germany. The potential for escalation is high, Münch warned.
More crimes have also been recorded on the Internet. Since October, more than 300 relevant reports of hate comments relating to the conflict have been received. Half of the reports had an anti-Semitic background.
The number of cases in the area of foreign or religious ideology in October alone was more than three times higher than the total of all recorded offenses between January and September. The number of anti-Semitic crimes with a right-wing extremist background has also risen.
Münch went on to say that as German citizens were also affected by the Hamas attacks, the BKA was investigating unknown Hamas members on behalf of the Federal Public Prosecutor General on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organization abroad, murder and hostage-taking.
At the conference, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser (SPD) warned that the Islamist scene in Germany was trying to use the escalation for its own purposes. She emphasized that protecting Jewish lives was part of the reason of state.
Source: www.ntv.de
