Dobrindt stunned: Berlin knife attacker free again – penalties to increase

Increasing anti-Semitism , more right-wing extremist crimes, and the realization that the conflict in the Middle East has long since reached German cities. The current 2024 statistics on politically motivated crime are therefore more than a wake-up call. More than 84,000 politically motivated crimes were registered nationwide—more than ever since the statistics were introduced in 2001. An increase of around 40 percent compared to the previous year. The violence is particularly worrying. 4,107 crimes had a violent motive, frequently from the right-wing extremist spectrum.

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) presented the statistics on Wednesday with a somber expression. His words reveal a political dilemma: How can a state credibly guarantee security when violent criminals are roaming freely, anti-Semitism is raging in the streets, and the judiciary is simultaneously overwhelmed, yet the constitutional state is obligated to exercise restraint? Caught between calls for severity and the limits of the law, between prevention and repression, politics is in danger of losing its ability to act. Or at least its power to persuade.

Everything Dobrindt said on Tuesday demonstrates the seriousness of the situation. "The rising anti-Semitism is a great concern," the new Federal Minister of the Interior concluded. Of the 7,328 crimes related to Israel or Palestine, 2,832 had a clearly anti-Semitic motivation. Some of these occurred in the context of the protests against Israel that have flared up repeatedly since October 7, 2023. Dobrindt calls them "Israel-hate demonstrations" and speaks of "imported anti-Semitism." Dobrindt speaks of an "unacceptable" level of anti-Semitic violence and calls for a security offensive by the federal and state governments. Germany must "not accept that criminals spread fear and terror, causing volunteers and politicians to cease their involvement."

But this perspective falls short. An equally large—and growing—portion of antisemitism apparently originates from the right-wing spectrum. In the past, however, crimes that could not be categorized were often automatically attributed to the right-wing spectrum.

Currently, there are two fronts and one problem: In 2024, the police counted 42,788 right-wing crimes – an increase of almost 50 percent compared to 2023 (28,945). Right-wing extremism thus continues to account for the largest share of politically motivated crime. Of the 4,107 recorded violent crimes, around 36 percent (approximately 1,500 crimes) had a right-wing background. In addition, there were 6,236 anti-Semitic crimes in total, a record high.

Hate crime: threats, coercion, physical assault

A look at so-called hate crimes is also particularly revealing: In almost 19,500 cases, the police identified "xenophobia" as the main motive. This increase clearly shows that resentment is no longer just expressed, but is also being acted out violently.

The analysis by the Association of Counseling Centers for Victims of Right-Wing, Racist, and Antisemitic Violence provides a further bleak picture: 3,453 right-wing attacks were documented for 2024—around 900 more than in 2023, which also marked a record high. At least 4,681 people were affected, often multiple times or for a long time. Berlin (366 cases), North Rhine-Westphalia (294), Saxony (213), and Bavaria (211) were particularly affected.

The most common motives for the crimes were racism (1,794 cases), attacks on political opponents (542), anti-Semitism (354), and anti-LGBTIQ hostility (344). The most documented crimes were threats, coercion, and physical assault – often in public spaces, in front of schools, refugee shelters, or at party events.

For Dobrindt, the numbers have also risen due to the polarization of society, as he emphasized several times on Tuesday. The escalation is no coincidence in 2024; there were the European elections, several eastern German state elections, and the disputes within the "traffic light" coalition, all the way to the split. The CSU politician also sees certain political forces as sharing responsibility: Those who play a role in this polarization are also complicit in this development, the minister said on Tuesday.

Is he referring to a ban on the AfD ? The Federal Ministry of the Interior continues to dismiss the idea, arguing that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution's report is insufficient. However, the developments, especially among young people, are alarming. The trend toward right-wing extremist youth organizations is increasing, according to BKA chief Holger Münch , who is sitting next to Dobrindt. The perpetrators are younger and are radicalizing more quickly—the internet often acts as a catalyst.

This is what the Federal Minister of the Interior is planning to do to combat the violent acts

What the figures don't show, but Dobrindt emphasizes: Too often, swift consequences are lacking. Criminals who are quickly released after assaulting police officers or knife attacks create an image of powerlessness – as recently happened in front of a police station in Neukölln, where an officer was seriously injured . "I have more than one question mark here," says Dobrindt. Many crimes go without immediate legal consequences. The proceedings take too long. "Punishment must follow swiftly," demands the Interior Minister.

The planned increase in penalties for so-called mass attacks – in the future, the penalty will be at least one year in prison instead of the current six months – is a step forward. Dobrindt wants to classify it as a crime. But a problem remains, as Dobrindt and Münch both admitted: Even the best legislation is of little use if the judiciary and police are understaffed and underfunded. Münch therefore urgently warns that the police alone can no longer handle this. A broad societal strategy is needed, not just repressive, but also preventive – from political education to digital awareness.