The number of politically motivated crimes in Germany in 2021 was higher than in any of the 20 previous years.
According to preliminary data from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) released in answer to a question from a lawmaker, the number of politically motivated crimes in Germany in 2021 rose by around six per cent to 47,303.
This made it the highest level of politically motivated crimes in the country since the annual statistics were introduced in 2001.
If further cases were added, which was possible since the answer was responding to a query from Jan. 5, the final figure could be even higher.
The rise was attributed to crimes that were categorized as neither left- nor right-wing.
Security officials thought the tense social climate during the coronavirus pandemic played a role.
The data showed a slight decline of around six per cent in violent crimes with a political background.
The number of violent incidents that cannot be attributed to a particular part of the political spectrum was also notable.
There were 1,047 violent crimes committed by suspects that police could not identify as supporters of right-wing, left-wing, Islamist or foreign ideology; the latter would include for example the Kurdish PKK’s ideology. (dpa/NAN)
