The victim counseling centers in the VBRG have published their balance sheets on the extent of right-wing, racist and antisemitic violence in 2021. A total of 1,391 right-wing, racist and antisemitic attacks were registered in nine out of 16 federal states. Five people died as a result of right-wing homicides by supporters of the corona denial movement. Racism is again the main motive in 2/3 of the attacks. At least four people are victims of right-wing, racist or antisemitic violence every day. The counseling centers also note a serious underreporting of right-wing violence by law enforcement agencies – even in the case of serious violent crimes. All information can be found here.
Overview:
- Press release of the VBRG eV from May 4th, 2021
- Graphics and background information for download
- [Video] Federal press conference of the VBRG “Annual statistics on right-wing violence 2021 “
- press review
- Annual statistics and assessments of the victim counseling centers in the federal states
Press release of the VBRG eV from May 10th, 2021
Right-wing, racist and antisemitic violence in 2021: An alarming balance sheet from the independent victim advice centers
Right-wing violence by supporters of the corona denier movement and of conspiracy ideologies claimed five lives in 2021 ++ Despite massive pandemic restrictions, up to four right-wing attacks occurred every day in nine out of 16 federal states alone ++ Racism is about 2/3 of the cases dominant motive ++ 1,830 people were directly affected by 1,391 right-wing politically motivated acts of violence in 2021 in East Germany, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein alone. ++
“The visible extent of right-wing, racist and antisemitic violence is dramatic – despite months of pandemic-related exit restrictions. Many people are massively hurt, threatened and humiliated in their direct living and living environment by the unbearable normality of antisemitism and racism,” says Robert Kusche from the board of VBRG eV ++ In addition to racism and right-wing extremism in the police authorities, the judiciary must also be more involved be taken into focus. “More than two years after February 19, 2020, we draw a bitter balance: the promises made by politicians to us as the bereaved and survivors of the Hanau attack have still not been fulfilled,” criticizes Said Etris Hashemi, brother of Said Nesar Hashemi, survivor and survivors of the February 19 attack in Hanau. ++
In 2021, the 20-year-old gas station employee Alex W. died in Idar-Oberstein (Rhineland-Palatinate) as well as three children and their mother in Senzig (Brandenburg) in right-wing homicides by armed supporters of conspiracy ideologies and the corona denial movement. This means that 17 people have lost their lives since 2019 due to right-wing terrorism, racism and right-wing violence. The relatives and survivors of right-wing terrorist attacks continue to struggle with serious consequences. “The often racist treatment of those affected by the police and judiciary as well as right-wing extremist networks and groups in security authorities increase the insecurity among many people,” says Robert Kusche from VBRG eV Die im VBRG eV
- Despite months of exit restrictions due to the pandemic, 1,391 right-wing, racist and antisemitic attacks affecting 1,830 people were registered.
- This means that in more than half of all federal states in 2021 at least three to four people were victims of right-wing violence every day.
- As in previous years, racism was by far the most common motive for crimes in 2021. Around two thirds of all attacks (816 cases) were racially motivated and were mainly aimed at people with migration or refugee experience and Black Germans.
- Compared to previous years, an increase in attacks against so-called political opponents (317 cases) was registered again.
- Among those affected are 51 acts of violence against journalists who were defamed, attacked and threatened by the corona denier movement as the “lying press”.
- Almost a sixth of those affected are particularly vulnerable children and young people (288 affected).
A bitter result: the promises made by politicians to the relatives and survivors of the Hanau attack have still not been fulfilled.
“We expect from the current federal government that victims of terrorism finally receive an unbureaucratic basic pension with an appropriate livelihood,” emphasizes Said Etris Hashemi. “Because the current so-called Victim Compensation Act is a bureaucratic monster that must be abolished. Its provisions prevent the development of future prospects and degrade us to petitioners – like too many other survivors and bereaved, for example of the OEZ attack and the Oktoberfest attack.”
Experts warn of new right-wing movements as a starting point for right-wing violence and right-wing terrorism
“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen a threatening increase in arming and Day X terror plans in the right-wing movements of corona deniers, supporters of conspiracy ideologies and Reich citizens. This worsened again in the third year of the pandemic. The effects can also be seen in the legitimacy of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine in these milieus and networks,” warns Pia Lamberty, social psychologist and managing director of the non-profit organization CeMAS – Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy. The experience of impunity for permanent rule violations and the normalization of antisemitism and racism create the breeding ground for the most serious acts of violence, especially against people who are viewed as political opponents on behalf of entire groups.
Right-wing violence in 2021: increase in Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Thuringia, high number of attacks in six other federal states
In the eastern German federal states as well as in Baden-Württemberg, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig-Holstein, in which independent and uniform monitoring of right-wing violence is published by the victim advice centers, the number of right-wing violent crimes registered in 2021 remained consistently high compared to the previous year . However, the development is not uniform in the federal states. Measured against the number of inhabitants, independent monitoring recorded the most racist and right-wing acts of violence in Berlin (9.1 attacks per 100,000 inhabitants), Saxony-Anhalt (7.1 attacks per 100,000 inhabitants), Brandenburg (5.9 attacks per 100,000 inhabitants) and Thuringia (5.6 attacks per 100,000 inhabitants).
- In Brandenburg, Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia (1.9 attacks per 100,000 inhabitants) right-wing violence has increased compared to the previous year.
- In Berlin, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony (4.6 attacks per 100,000 inhabitants), right-wing violence remains at persistently high and worrying levels, with a minimal decline.
- In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania alone (4.1 attacks per 100,000 inhabitants), a sharp decline was registered, which is mainly due to the sustained loss of trust in the law enforcement authorities, among other things due to the “Nordkreuz” complex and the corona measures of the last two years is.
- As in previous years, the number of right-wing violent crimes recorded in western German states such as Schleswig-Holstein (2.6 attacks per 100,000 inhabitants) and in the most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (1.9 attacks per 100,000 inhabitants) and Baden- Württemberg (0.61) lower compared to East Germany and Berlin.
Underreporting of right-wing violence by law enforcement agencies is growing and hinders effective countermeasures
As in previous years, the victim counseling centers are assuming that in 2021 there will be a large number of unregistered right-wing, racist and antisemitic acts of violence and a blatant under-recording of racist, antisemitic and right-wing motivations by the police and judiciary. “We see with concern that the underreporting of right-wing violence is increasing. This is particularly evident in the location of acts of violence by supporters of conspiracy ideologies and the corona denial movement in the police category ‘PMK cannot be assigned/delegitimization of the state relevant to the protection of the constitution’,” says Robert Kusche. For example, the murder of Alex W. in Idar-Oberstein by a supporter of conspiracy ideologies is not recognized as a right-wing politically motivated homicide, whereas the deadly shots at four members of the R. family in Senzig by a supporter of the corona denial movement are classified as antisemitic-motivated homicides in the ‘PMK right’ category. It is often only thanks to those who were attacked that racist and right-wing motivated acts of violence by corona deniers and racists known to the police become known at all – such as the attack on 17-year-old Dilan S. in February 2022 in Berlin. “The racist perpetrator-victim reversal, with which the Berlin police adopted the attacker’s version of the crime, is not an isolated case,” emphasizes Robert Kusche. The still inadequate and incomplete recording and recognition of racism,
Press contacts, attachments and references
VBRG eV, www.verband-brg.de , @rechte_macht
Email: info(at)verband-brg.de
Initiative February 19 Hanau, https://19feb-hanau.org/
Email: presse(at)19feb-hanau.org
Pia Lamberty, Managing Director of CeMAS – Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy, https://cemas.io/
Email: pia.lamberty(at)cemas.or
Graphics and background information :
Download: VBRG press release from May 10th, 2021
Graphic overview: right-wing, racist and antisemitic violence 2021
Graphic: Right-wing, racist and antisemitic attacks in comparison from 2011 to 2021
Graphic: Motivations for right-wing violence in 2021
Graphic: Criminal offenses of right-wing, racist and antisemitic violence in 2021
Graphic: Comparison of the federal states for right-wing, racist and antisemitic violence in 2021
Graphic: A comparison of those affected by right-wing, racist and antisemitic violence, 2011 – 2021
