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Five people victims of far-right hate crimes in east Germany every day

Counselling centres for victims of far-right violence reported an increase in crime in the five eastern German states and Berlin last year, new figures show.

Five people victims of far-right hate crimes in east Germany every day
Police in Chemnitz monitor the funeral of right extremist in March. Photo: DPA

Far-right extremists carried out 1,212 attacks last year in Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, according to data collected by victim counselling centres.

SEE ALSO: Police graves destroyed, sprayed with swastikas in Berlin

That's an increase of about seven percent from the previous year when 1,123 incidents of violence were logged.

The figures were revealed this week by the Association of Counselling Centres for victims of right-wing, racist and anti-Semitic violence (VBRG).

The attacks in 2018 were aimed at a total of 1,789 people, of which more than 250 were children and young people. The VBRG said it amounts to around five people becoming victims of far-right motivated, racist and anti-Semitic terror every day.

Robert Kusche of the VBRG warned that social cohesion was “massively threatened by everyday racism” and organized neo-Nazi terror”.

Highest number of attacks in Saxony

At least 962 people were injured in these attacks and 509 of them had serious injuries. The eastern state of Saxony saw the highest number of violent crimes by right-wing extremists, with 317 attacks recorded last year, up from 229 in 2017.

The Saxon city of Chemnitz was the scene of major far-right riots in August and September last year, where there were reports of people of foreign heritage being hounded. Police also arrested protesters who were caught making the illegal Nazi salute.

Meanwhile, Dresden, Saxony's capital, has been the home to the anti-Islam group Pegida (Patriotic Europeans against the Islamization of the West) since 2015. Supporters of this group are known for holding anti-immigrant and far-right views.

Two-thirds of all the attacks recorded across eastern Germany – 793 cases – were racially motivated and were largely against refugees, people from a migrant background and people of colour, the report said.

Another large group of victims were political opponents, where 188 cases were recorded by counselling centres.

SEE ALSO: Neo-nazi terror verdict – Zschäpe found guilty of 10 murders

Fewer attacks on Muslims nationwide, but more injuries

Meanwhile, as The Local reported, there were fewer attacks on Muslims and mosques last year. But the number of injuries increased, indicating a decrease in prevalence but a spike in severity.

SEE ALSO: Attacks against Muslims and mosques in Germany decreasing

In total, 813 Islamophobic and anti-Muslim crimes were recorded last year, down from 950 in 2017.

The figures however showed that injuries as a result of the attacks had risen, with 54 reported in 2018 — an increase on 32 from the previous year.

The numbers were released by the German parliament in response to a request by Die Linke (The Left) political party and reported in the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung.

The new statistics led to calls for a reporting centre to be launched, similar to the one opened in January to tacle anti-Semitism.

Fears of more right-wing crime

Now counselling bosses fear crime could continue to rise as state elections, which could create more division, take place later this year.

“In 2019 we fear an increase in right-wing violence, especially in the context of the state election campaigns in Brandenburg, Saxony and Thuringia,” said Kusche.

SEE ALSO: Crime in Germany at lowest level since reunification

According to the association, their figures only refer to the east because similar organizations in western Germany haven't calculated figures.

“This is only a small part of the true threat of right-wing violence,” said Matthias Quent, Director of the Institute for Democracy and Civil Society in Jena.

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CLIMATE CRISIS

Why are Last Generation activists in Germany getting prison sentences?

A Last Generation activist was sentenced to prison for criminal acts of protest on Wednesday. As investigations into the climate group continue, The Local takes a look at how German prosecutors are coming down hard on its activists.

Why are Last Generation activists in Germany getting prison sentences?

The Tiergarten District Court sentenced a leading member of the Last Generation climate activism organisation to a prison sentence of one year and four months without parole on Wednesday.

The sentence was confirmed to Tagesspiegel by a spokeswoman for the court.

Charges were brought against 32-year-old Miriam M., a leading organiser for Last Generation who has previously been fined for acts of protest. 

She has been found guilty of resisting law enforcement officers, damage to property, and coercion (here meaning recruiting members to commit similar acts).

According to the court, M. played a significant role in at least seven previous actions including five road blockades, and smearing orange paint on the façade of the Federal Ministry of Transport as well as the Gucci store on Berlin’s Ku’damm.

Miriam M. commented on the indictment on Platform X, suggesting that her crimes were committed in an effort to “to preserve our safe life in the future”.

READ ALSO: ‘Prepare for 3C rise’ – Europe warned it must do more to deal with climate crisis

In a statement on X, Last Generation stated: “If peaceful protest is criminalised, it concerns us all.”

This verdict comes as prosecutors across Germany appear to be cracking down on disruptive climate protests, especially on members of Last Generation.

This sentencing of M., along with the rulings on a number of on-going cases brought against her and other Last Generation members can be expected to shape how the German judiciary deals with disruptive climate protests going forward.

What’s the case against Last Generation?

Last Generation members are the target of multiple ongoing investigations in Germany. Several of which are looking into the suspicion that Last Generation is a “criminal organisation”.

As reported by Spiegel, the public prosecutor’s office in Neuruppin, a town in Brandenburg, has filed charges against five climate activists for the formation of a criminal organisation.

The initial crime at the centre of the Neuruppin investigation: tampering with an oil pumping station. Last Generation members admitted to turning off a pipeline connected to the PCK refinery in Schwedt with an emergency off switch.

oil pipeline shut down

Self-portrait of two members of Last Generation after they shut down an oil pipeline in an act of protest. Photo provided by Last Generation.

READ ALSO: Will US climate plans affect German gas supply?

The Flensburg public prosecutor’s office followed with its own charges brought specifically against Miriam M., on the suspicion that she “participated in a criminal organisation”.

This indictment also mentions a case of tampering with a crude oil pipeline as well as glueing herself to the runway of the Munich Airport, and taking part in the group that sprayed orange paint on a private jet on Sylt.

The Munich public prosecutor’s office is also investigating Last Generation.

But legal opinions are divided as to whether or not Last Generation should really be considered a criminal organisation.

According to Section 129 of Germany’s Criminal Code, an association is considered criminal if its purpose is to commit crimes – specifically crimes that are serious enough to warrant a two-year prison sentence. 

According to Reinhard Röttle, attorney general in Munich, the case is clear. He told Spiegel that the group “openly calls for crime and recruits members for this purpose”.

road blockade

Members of Last Generation block a highway in protest of Germany’s lack of action on climate change. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/ZUMA Press Wire | Andreas Stroh

But the chair of German and European criminal law at the University of Trier, Mohamad El-Ghazi doubts that the crimes committed by Last Generation have exceeded the threshold of significance: “We must not shoot sparrows with cannons”, he said about the cases brought so far.

Are climate protest groups being disproportionately targeted?

A common critique of Last Generation and similar activist groups is that they cross the line from peaceful protest to criminality when they block traffic or damage property.

However, members of the groups saying that politicians, corporations and society at large tends not to react to protests that aren’t disruptive.

A statement posted by Last Generation on X on Wednesday sums up the sentiment among young people in Germany who are concerned about the government’s watered-down climate policies:

“Breaking: The federal government is reacting to our protests and tightening the climate protection law!

Oh, misread.

The climate protection law is being watered down. Laws to ‘deter activists’ are being tightened.”

The post links to a press release from Germany Interior Ministry announcing that the Federal Cabinet adopted a draft law intended to increase the punishment for people who trespass on airport tarmacs.

If the law goes forward, protestors could face up to two years in prison should they try to block an airport runway in the future.

READ ALSO: INTERVIEW – ‘Failed climate policies are fuelling far-right politics in Germany’

Germany has a reputation for a strong commitment to freedom of speech and the right to protest. But some watchdog groups suggest that these standards are slipping.

Global civil society alliance CIVICUS, which monitors civil freedoms around the world, downgraded Germany’s human rights rating from “open” to “narrowed” back in 2023.

The report cited disproportionate force used against climate protests, and the police raids against Last Generation specifically in their report.

“Germany used to be one of the most free countries in Europe. Now Germany is leading the pack in the EU-wide crackdown on climate activism,” said Tara Petrović, CIVICUS Monitor’s Europe and Central Asia researcher in a statement.

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