Record increase in crimes committed by far-right extremists in Germany
The most significant increase was observed in the eastern state of Saxony.
In the January-June period of 2024, a total of 9,802 far-right-related criminal incidents were recorded by the police, marking the highest number of such crimes ever registered in a six-month period in Germany. This figure represents a sharp rise from the 6,992 cases reported in the first half of 2023.
These crimes included 318 violent incidents, such as attempted murder, assault, extortion, arson, and resistance to law enforcement, which resulted in injuries to 166 people.
The ongoing concern over far-right violence in Germany is not new. Between 2000 and 2007, the far-right "National Socialist Underground" (NSU) group was responsible for the murders of ten people, including eight Turks, one Greek, and a German police officer. More recently, on February 19, 2020, a racist attack in Hanau carried out by Tobias Rathjen claimed the lives of nine people, including several Turks, at two cafes and a kiosk.
The resurgence of far-right threats also manifested in the form of letters signed "NSU 2.0," containing death threats sent to numerous politicians and media figures. It was revealed that the addresses and phone numbers of the recipients were accessed from police computers in Frankfurt, leading to a major scandal.
Commenting on the situation, Halit Habip Oğlu, President of the Federation of Western Thrace Turks in Europe (ABTTF), stated, "The pain caused by far-right violence in Germany, which has directly targeted Turks and claimed the lives of many since the 1990s, remains fresh in our memories. As clearly indicated in the response from the German Federal Ministry of the Interior, racism and xenophobia continue to pose significant problems in the country today. The populist and far-right ideology of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has risen to second place in recent polls, is also fueling far-right violence. German authorities must take the strongest possible measures against far-right extremism and racism, which represent the greatest threats to the nation's democracy and democratic institutions."
