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Under the motto “Signs against the right – No place for Nazis” people take part in a rally in downtown Mainz.
© Helmut Fricke/dpa
Politically motivated crimes are also increasing significantly in Rhineland-Palatinate.
This is especially true again for those on the right.
But there are also other “all-time highs”.
Mainz - Never before have so many politically motivated crimes been recorded in Rhineland-Palatinate as in 2023 - and never so many from the right.
This has been true at least since the corresponding statistics were introduced in 2001. “Crimes with political motivation are directed not only against the victims, but also against our democratic constitutional state and the free society,” said Interior Minister Michael Ebling on Wednesday in Mainz at the presentation of the Pay.
“They are intended to create uncertainty and shake citizens’ trust in the rule of law and democratic institutions.” The SPD politician announced an amendment to the Constitutional Protection Act for this year.
An overview of the crimes recorded and the plans:
All politically motivated crimes
The total number of these crimes rose by around 20 percent within a year from 1,672 to 2009. The previous high was reached in 2021 with 1,779 cases.
crimes from the right
accounted for by far the largest share of recorded political crime.
Within a year they increased by a significant 68 percent from around 740 to the high of 1245.
The focus was on propaganda crimes, which include the use of symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations.
Incitement and insults followed.
Violent crimes motivated by right-wing extremism also reached a peak at 69 cases (previous year: 49).
These included 63 physical injuries and also an attempted homicide in February in Bingen, which was preceded by a dispute over the playing of right-wing extremist music.
Of the 171 anti-Semitic crimes recorded, most (106) are still attributed to the right-wing spectrum.
All politically motivated violent crimes
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This number remained at a high level with a total of 111 crimes.
Last year there were two fewer.
Politically motivated crime against foreigners
increased by 13 to 213 acts.
This is also the highest value since the introduction of the “Criminal Police Reporting Service in Cases of Politically Motivated Crime” (PMK) in 2001. The increase is largely attributed to the area of religious ideology, said the Interior Minister.
Crimes motivated from the left
increased by 79 to 128 in the comparable period, but did not reach the peak of 196 in 2020.
Most of the cases involved property damage and abusive emergency calls.
The violent crimes attributed to this spectrum, however, fell from eight to two cases.
Hate crime
The investigators found another all-time high in so-called hate crime.
854 crimes were recorded in 2023 - more than twice as many as in the previous year.
Both racist and anti-Semitic crimes as well as anti-Islam and anti-queer crimes have increased.
More politically motivated crimes have also been recorded against officials and elected officials than ever before.
The clearance rate
was 64.9 percent for all politically motivated crimes, after 43.9 in the previous year.
It was even slightly higher for crimes from the right at 67.7 percent (after 54.9 in 2022).
The planned amendment to the Constitutional Protection Act
should come in 2024.
“We want to uncover the extremists’ financial flows,” said Ebling, describing one goal.
In addition, right-wing extremists should be prevented from acquiring weapons.
Existing weapons permits should be revoked - as far as legally possible.
“Weapons do not belong in the hands of extremists.”
Assessment of the Minister of the Interior
The statistics show that right-wing motivated perpetrators are becoming less and less afraid of openly displaying their views and are also crossing the threshold of violence more often, Ebling noted.
“The current crises and military conflicts are having a lasting impact on the security situation in Germany and thus also in Rhineland-Palatinate.” The minister criticized the political discourse is being conducted more aggressively and the language is becoming brutal in many places, especially in the digital space.
The number of politically motivated crimes in connection with the Russian attack on Ukraine fell from 161 to 92 cases.
However, in the context of Hamas' terrorist attack against Israel and Israel's reactions to it, there would have been a significant increase in anti-Semitic crimes.
The numbers clearly underline what many people who demonstrated against right-wing extremism felt in recent months, said Ebling.
He looks with gratitude at the fact that “an infinite number of people have taken to the streets to make it clear that they stand up for freedom and democracy, and that they show extremists and enemies of democracy and swearers that they are not the majority, but a minority are".
The minister appealed to citizens to consistently counter extremist positions, hatred, incitement and conspiracy myths.
And what does the police union say?
The deputy state chairman Sven Hummel spoke of “a serious threat”.
Common, nationwide coordinated combat approaches and standards for police dealing with dangerous people, as well as the standardization of legal principles, could make the fight against politically motivated crime more effective.
According to investigators, the cross-border cooperation is “very cumbersome”.
In order to more effectively evaluate and process crimes, the technical infrastructure must also keep pace.
The evaluation of mass data or, for example, Telegram channels in particular requires modern IT equipment and IT infrastructure.
“Investments are already necessary here in order to be able to keep pace in the future.” dpa