German government admits hundreds of neo-Nazis free despite arrest warrants

The German government has admitted that 714 neo-Nazis are at large throughout the country despite active warrants for their arrest, press reports said Sunday.

The government acknowledged the figures in a response to a parliamentary inquiry by the opposition Left Party, the editorial network RND reported.

According to the report, 115 wanted neo-Nazis are currently abroad, 20 of them in Poland and 13 in Austria. Some 39 of these right-wing extremists who have moved abroad are wanted for violent crimes.

Reacting to the latest statistics, Left Party domestic policy expert Clara Bunger said: "The number of outstanding arrest warrants against right-wing extremists has remained at an alarmingly high level for years. The authorities can no longer stand idly by; they must prioritize this problem."

The number of right-wing extremist crimes in Germany reached a new high last year since records began in 2001. Statistics from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) show a total of 42,788 offenses from the right-wing spectrum in 2024, which is almost 50% more than in the previous year.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

AA