Germany news: Smaller cities top out happiness rankings
06/09/2026 June 9, 2026 Germany sees record political crime cases Germany has recorded a new high in politically motivated crimes, with nearly 86,000 cases logged
06/09/2026 June 9, 2026 Germany sees record political crime cases Germany has recorded a new high in politically motivated crimes, with nearly 86,000 cases logged last year. The figure rose by about 2% from the previous record, authorities said, after already surging sharply in 2024. Officials warn that political tensions are increasingly spilling into crime. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) and Interior Ministry cited election-related offenses as a key driver, with the 2025 federal vote contributing to the rise.
Around 60% of cases involved propaganda offenses or property damage. About half of all crimes were attributed to right-wing actors, remaining at roughly the same level as the year before. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said right-wing extremism still poses the greatest threat, noting a worrying increase in youth violence. At the same time, left-wing offenses saw the sharpest rise, up around 35% to nearly 13,500 cases.
Dobrindt said increased mobilization, including protests that turned violent, had contributed to the spike. Cases linked to foreign ideology fell by about 6%, while those tied to religious motives rose by nearly 6%. Violent crimes also increased overall, with both right- and left-wing incidents climbing, though cases linked to foreign ideology dropped significantly. Police also reported a rise in hate crimes to around 22,000 cases, including about 6,500 antisemitic offenses, up 5%.
Anti-LGBTQ+ crimes also rose markedly, increasing 12.8% to 2,377 cases, with a disproportionately high share involving violence.
The BriefWire