Germany reports over 250 Islamophobic crimes this year

BERLIN

German police recorded 258 Islamophobic crimes in the first half of 2023, according to figures released on Monday by the parliament.

More than a dozen mosques were attacked between January and June, and dozens of Muslims were physically assaulted or verbally harassed on the street or in public places. Seventeen people were injured in these attacks.

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

According to the information provided by the ministry, the cases included hate crimes, threatening letters, verbal and physical assaults, vandalism or property damage.

Some 124 of these cases were reported between January and March this year, and 134 others were registered between April and June.

While criminal investigations were opened against several suspects, no arrests have been made so far, Interior Ministry officials have said.

Most of the crimes were committed in the eastern German states, the traditional stronghold of far-right parties, according to the figures. But scores of Islamophobic hate crimes were also registered in the capital Berlin, and the western cities of Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich.

Germany witnessed growing racism and xenophobia in recent years, fueled by the propaganda of far-right, antisemitic, and anti-Muslim groups, including the opposition party Alternative for Germany, or the AfD.

A country of over 84 million people, Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. It is home to nearly 5 million Muslims, according to official figures.