The number of politically motivated crimes known to the police reached a new record last year. The 60,028 crimes recorded represent the highest level since the statistics were introduced in 2001.
This is evident from the statistics on politically motivated crime in 2023 presented in Berlin on Tuesday. The increase compared to 2022 is less than 2 percent. 3,561 cases are violent crimes, almost 12 percent less than in 2022.
The lion’s share of the crimes (a third) were propaganda crimes, for example the use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations. The statistics on politically motivated crime are initial statistics, which means that crimes are recorded when they become known to the police – so there is an unreported case. Multiple counts are possible if crimes fall into more than one category (phenomenon area).
The President of the Federal Criminal Police Office, Holger Münch, explained: “Politically motivated crime has almost doubled within ten years and is continuing to increase.” In parts of the population, there are radicalization tendencies, including attempts to delegitimize the state and its monopoly on violence. “We have to take this development very seriously because it threatens our democracy and our social peace.”