Germany Sees a Sharp Increase in Right-Motivated Incidents at Schools, Data Reveals
A recent investigation by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung has uncovered a disturbing trend of right-motivated incidents at schools across Germany. The data, gathered from various sources, shows a significant surge in the number of such incidents, with nearly every state experiencing a rise in reported cases.
In Baden-Württemberg, for instance, the number of right-extreme incidents at schools jumped from nine in 2022 to 62 in 2024, with the majority being the display of the Hitler salute and the scribbling of Nazi symbols on school buildings. In Bavaria, the state’s criminal investigation agency reported a lack of data on such incidents, citing the absence of a specific register for “school-related crimes.”
Berlin’s police force, on the other hand, has been tracking right-motivated crimes since 2021, with the number of reported incidents rising from 33 in that year to 115 in 2024. Although the specific nature of these incidents was not disclosed, the trend is clear.
Similar patterns have been observed in other states, with Brandenburg, Bremen, Hesse, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland, Saxony and Thuringia all reporting a significant increase in right-motivated incidents at schools.
In some cases, the incidents have been particularly egregious, with anti-Semitic slurs and right-wing slogans being used to intimidate and harass students and teachers. In Saxony, for example, the majority of reported incidents have been propaganda crimes, with some students even taking selfies in a Nazi salute in front of Holocaust memorials and posting them on social media.
While the exact reasons behind this trend are unclear, experts point to a growing sense of polarization and the spread of extremist ideologies as possible factors. Whatever the cause, the data is clear: right-motivated incidents at German schools are on the rise and a concerted effort is needed to address this worrying trend.