The German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) warns that more and more young people are becoming radicalized towards the extreme right. They are also increasingly joining organizations to commit serious crimes. The internet plays an increasingly important role in this.
“We have seen for about a year that more and more very young people with right-wing views are becoming radicalized and joining organizations to commit serious crimes,” says BKA chief Holger Münch. This partly involves “well-organized organizations.”
The internet plays an important role in this. Young people are increasingly exposed to extreme ideas via social media and right-wing forums. The large number of right-wing motivated crimes in Germany is a “major challenge” for the security authorities, Münch tells That Welt.
According to the German police, countering radicalization and preventing serious crimes is not only the task of the police, but of society as a whole.
The German authorities arrested five young people earlier this week for allegedly planning attacks on migrants and left-wing institutions. The suspects are between fourteen and eighteen years old.
Never Before So Many Political Motivated Crimes in Germany
The number of politically motivated crimes in Germany broke a record last year. This was revealed on Tuesday by figures from the German police and the German Ministry of the Interior.
Germany registered more than 84,000 politically motivated crimes in 2024. This is an increase of about 40 percent compared to the previous year. According to the German police, this is the largest number since the start of the measurements in 2001.
The increase in crimes with a right-wing motive was the largest, at almost 48 percent. This accounts for more than half of all politically motivated crimes in Germany. In particular, the conflict in the Middle East and the German elections had an influence on the number of crimes.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt spoke of a “worrying development” on Tuesday. Münch said at the time that German democracy was “under pressure.” “We see that international crises and geopolitical conflicts are increasingly influencing security in Germany.”