By Oliver Towfigh Nia
BERLIN (AA) - The number of right-wing extremist crimes in Germany reached a new high last year, local media reported on Monday.
By Nov. 30, 2024, police had registered 33,963 “politically motivated, right-wing crimes,” reported the RND media group, citing a response from the Interior Ministry to an inquiry by the parliamentary fraction of the opposition party The Left.
The final number in the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) statistics, which is expected to be released in May, is likely to be even higher due to crimes committed in December.
In 2023, the Federal Criminal Police Office recorded a total of 28,945 right-wing political crimes in its statistics, according to the Interior Ministry. Last year, the number of crimes rose by at least 17.34%.
Of the almost 34,000 registered crimes, 1,136 cases were violent crimes. Propaganda offenses (21,311), sedition (5,097), and property damage (1,942) accounted for the majority of crimes in 2024.
Germany has witnessed growing racism in recent years fueled by far-right parties and movements, including the right-wing populist Alternative for Germany (AfD), which have exploited fears about a refugee crisis.