Berlin Sees a Significant Rise in Antisemitic Incidents, Data Reveals
Berlin’s Senate has reported a substantial increase in antisemitic incidents in the city, with a total of 1,823 cases in 2024, a significant rise from the 901 recorded in 2023. The data, obtained through a parliamentary inquiry, reveals a sharp surge in the use of symbols associated with unconstitutional and terrorist organizations, from 88 in 2023 to 587 in 2024.
The statistics also show a significant increase in cases of property damage, from 144 to 379 and in cases of incitement to hatred, from 359 to 525. However, the number of violent crimes has decreased, from 72 to 67. The majority of the incidents were registered in connection with the Middle East conflict, with 533 cases in 2023 and 1,451 in 2024.
For 2025, there is a possibility of a decline in the numbers, as 307 antisemitic incidents were registered by May 5, with 245 of those related to the Middle East conflict. However, the Senate notes that not all known cases have been included in the statistics for the current year.
The majority of the suspects with antisemitic motives are German citizens, with 256 in 2022 and 743 in 2024. The most common nationalities of suspects from outside Germany were Syrian, American, Iranian, Italian and Lebanese.
The majority of the antisemitic incidents in Berlin are attributed to the category of “foreign ideology” with 1,036 antisemitic crimes in 2024 attributed to this category, compared to 338 attributed to religious ideology and 302 to right-wing extremism. Only 32 cases were linked to left-wing extremism.
The Senate warns that a pro-Israeli backlash has emerged from the intersection of foreign extremism, Islamism and left-wing extremism following the Hamas attack on Israel.
Martin Trefzer, an AfD representative in the Berlin House of Representatives, demands a change in the city’s politics, saying, “The Senate must start its counter-strategy if it wants to push back against antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment. The unholy alliance of Islamist and left-wing Jew-haters must finally be addressed adequately. The Senate is being led by false notions of restraint.”
Timur Husein, a CDU politician and spokesperson for combating antisemitism, stated, “The numbers show that we will still have to deal with antisemites in Berlin for a long time. They also show that there is a dangerous and increasingly strong cooperation between left-wing extremists and Islamists.”
Alex Freier-Winterwerb, a Berlin-based SPD politician, said, “The state of our society is reflected in the daily life of Jews – and that is ‘alarmingly’ bad. The massive increase in antisemitic crimes is not a marginal phenomenon, but an attack on democracy. Whoever does not act now is complicit. Jewish life needs protection, antisemitism needs zero tolerance – and finally, action, not just words. It is time for a new uprising of the decent and more decency from those in power.