Attacks on press hit record level in Germany in 2022

BERLIN

Germany saw a record number of attacks against journalists in 2022, according to official figures announced on Monday.

The police registered 320 criminal acts committed against media workers last year, among them were 46 violent attacks, 41 threats, and 31 cases involved property damage.

The Interior Ministry released the figures in response to a parliamentary question by the opposition Left Party.

Many journalists were threatened or attacked while covering demonstrations by far-right or other extremist groups.

More than 60 such attacks were registered during protests against COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.

German journalists' associations have long demanded better safety measures and protection and criticized authorities for not thoroughly investigating attacks against journalists.

Experts say actual figures on the attacks, threats, and insults against journalists could be much higher, as many of them are not properly investigated or registered in the official statistics.

In 2021, there were 276 documented attacks against journalists in Germany, up from 260 incidents registered in 2020.

The police had reported 104 such attacks in 2019 and 93 cases in 2018.