German police register record 85,837 politically motivated crimes in 2025

Speaking at the presentation in Berlin, Dobrindt, a politician from the conservative CSU party, said the data confirm that the principal threat continues to come from the far right. "The majority of crimes were committed by right-wing and far-right perpetrators, which once again demonstrates that the greatest danger currently stems from far-right extremism," he said. Approximately half of all politically motivated crimes registered last year, totaling 42,544 cases, were attributed to the right-wing spectrum.

Hate crime leads the categories

The largest single category of offenses was hate crime, which rose 1.8 percent to 22,159 cases. Within that category, xenophobia remained the most common form, with 19,484 cases. Antisemitic offenses increased five percent to 6,548 cases, and BKA President Münch noted that almost half of antisemitic hate crime is connected to the Middle East conflict. On average, more than one crime per week was registered against a synagogue, according to the report.

Münch also pointed to the continuing significant influence of extremist propaganda, partly from abroad, and warned that polarization can lead to radicalization expressed through violence against those who think differently or against the political system. "International conflict situations also stir emotions in Germany," Münch said. He described the rise in misogynistic crimes, which jumped from 558 cases in 2024 to 819 cases in 2025, a rise of nearly 47 percent, as a serious warning signal, citing a comparatively high share of violent offenses in that category.

Left-wing offenses rise fastest

The BKA president attributed part of the increase in misogynistic offenses to a "more classic image of men" spread through social networks, a view he said includes the notion that one is more inclined to use violence. The BKA cited the influence of extremist propaganda on social networks as an additional factor behind rising case numbers, with approximately one third of hate crimes taking place on the internet.

Left-wing motivated crime registered the steepest relative increase. The number of such offenses rose 35.29 percent compared with 2024, reaching 13,490 cases in 2025. Dobrindt described the trend as a "deutlich wachsende Bedrohung" — a significantly growing threat — emanating from the "far-left scene." Far-left actors were responsible for the largest increase in violent crimes among politically motivated offenses.

Right-wing violence still dominant

Violent crimes attributed to a left-wing motive rose by nearly 43 percent to 1,087 cases in 2025. Münch explained that left-wing extremist violence in 2025 was expressed primarily through resistance against police officers and through arson, with more than half of left-wing motivated crimes recorded in 2025 being property damage offenses. Typical offenses listed by authorities include bodily harm, arson, resistance against police officers, and violent confrontations with political opponents at demonstrations.

Right-wing violent crime also increased, rising more than seven percent to 1,598 cases. Of the 4,156 politically motivated violent crimes recorded overall, 1,598 were attributed to a suspected right-wing motive, just over 1,000 to the left-wing spectrum, and nearly 1,600 to right-wing and right-wing extremist perpetrators combined. The total of 4,156 violent offenses was the highest since 2016, representing a 1.2 percent increase.

Attacks on police and politicians

Crimes attributed to foreign ideologies declined 6.2 percent to 6,886 cases, and violent offenses in that category fell about 28 percent to 704. Religiously motivated violent crimes rose almost 13 percent to 98 cases. The report noted that religiously motivated violent crimes remained a relatively small share of all politically motivated violent crimes, accounting for only a small proportion of the total. Violent crimes that could not be clearly assigned to any political spectrum fell approximately 16 percent to 669 cases.

Crimes against police officers rose nearly five percent to 5,144 cases, with more than one-fifth classified as violent offenses. Most crimes against police were attributed to the left-wing spectrum, followed by right-wing perpetrators. Politically motivated violent crimes against politicians decreased from 122 cases in 2024 to 85 cases in 2025, but Dobrindt said hate and incitement are reasons people no longer wish to serve as local politicians. "Wir reden von Tausenden Kommunalpolitikerinnen, die wir schützen wollen, die dringend gebraucht werden," he said, referring to the thousands of local politicians in need of protection.

Social media and radicalization

Particularly serious offenses increased to more than 4,100 cases according to Dobrindt, with most right-wing politically motivated crimes being so-called propaganda offenses, such as the use of anti-constitutional symbols. Münch said social media is a key driver of hate, agitation, and propaganda, warning that this can in the worst case lead to serious crimes in the analog world. The BKA president added that the "Fundament der Demokratie" — the foundation of democracy — is being attacked.

Dobrindt expressed particular concern about the age profile of perpetrators, saying it was alarming that the willingness to use violence is rising particularly among young perpetrators. He announced that he would work together with Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig of the SPD to push for harsher penalties for attacks on emergency personnel, with the government preparing a draft law together with the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Government response

The interior minister defended Paragraph 188 of the German Criminal Code, which provides special protection to politicians against insult and defamation, but indicated openness to changes to the provision as it relates to top-level politicians, stating that the original intent, the protection of local politicians, should be maintained. "Ich glaube an die abschreckende Wirkung des Strafrechts," Dobrindt said, expressing his belief in the deterrent effect of criminal law.

When presenting the 2024 statistics, Dobrindt, who took over the interior ministry from Nancy Faeser of the SPD, had promised a joint "Sicherheitsoffensive von Bund und Ländern" — a security offensive by the federal and state governments. The government also plans to better equip the police and the domestic intelligence service, the Verfassungsschutz, to address high levels of right- and left-wing extremist violence. The report was released in Berlin on Tuesday and broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on 09.06.2026.

Taken together, the figures and the warnings from Dobrindt and Münch paint a picture of an ideologically fragmented threat landscape in which far-right actors still account for the largest share of violent crime, but where left-wing and religiously motivated violence, misogynistic hate crime, and online-driven radicalization are all growing, prompting calls from the government for stronger penalties, better-equipped security agencies, and renewed protections for frontline politicians.