BERLIN

Neo-Nazis and far-right extremists committed 42,788 crimes in Germany last year, the highest number in more than a decade, the government announced on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told a Berlin press conference that politically motivated crimes reached a record high of 84,172 last year, with far-right crimes accounting for 42,788 – up 48% from 2023.

“The greatest threat to our democracy comes from right-wing extremism. That's objectively true,” he stated at a presentation of the government's report on politically motivated crimes.

“Last year, we had to deal with a very massive increase in right-wing, politically motivated crimes. That’s why we will continue our fight against right-wing extremism and right-wing motivated crimes,” he stressed.

Dobrindt highlighted the growing violence among right-wing extremists, saying they were responsible for injuring 45% of all victims of politically motivated violence last year.

According to official figures, neo-Nazis and right-wing extremists carried out 1,488 violent attacks on migrants, refugees, or political opponents – a more than 17% rise from the previous year. At least 1,068 people were injured in these attacks.

Hate crimes rise

The government report showed hate crimes rose 28% in 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching 21,733. According to the report, a significant portion of this increase was xenophobic crimes, which rose 29% to 19,481.

In the hate crimes category, crimes targeting Muslims also jumped. Islamophobic hate crimes climbed 26% from 2023 to 1,848. According to the report, there were 79 attacks on mosques in 2024, up from 70 in 2023.

Antisemitic crimes also rose 21% from the previous year, reaching 6,236, with 3,016 of these being carried out by far-right extremists.