Newly released data from the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Criminal Police Office reveals a worrying rise in anti-Semitic crimes in Germany, with figures almost doubling in 2023 compared to the previous year.
Rise in Extremist Violence
In 2023, authorities registered 5,164 anti-Semitic crimes, a staggering 95.5 percent increase from 2022. Among these incidents, 3,034 were attributed to individuals with a right-wing background.
The data also shows a rise in violent anti-Semitic acts, with 148 reported cases, including 91 incidents of physical assault.
A considerable portion of the increase in anti-Semitic crimes occurred after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. This period accounted for almost 53 percent of all anti-Semitic crimes for the year, indicating a direct influence of international events on domestic hate crimes.
Threats to Public Officials
Overall, politically motivated crime in Germany saw a slight increase of nearly two percent in 2023, totaling 60,028 incidents.
This continues a long-term trend, with politically motivated crime increasing by 83.6 percent over the past decade.
Both left-wing and right-wing extremist violence saw notable increases last year. Authorities recorded 916 left-wing extremist violent acts, an 8.8 percent rise, while right-wing extremist violence increased by 8.6 percent to 1,270 cases.
Crimes against members of parliament and other elected officials surged by 53 percent in 2023, with 2,710 reported cases. The most common offenses against state representatives were insults, coercion, and threats.
