The number of politically motivated crimes against refugee shelters has reached its highest level since 2017, according to recent updates from the German government in response to a question from the Left Party in the Bundestag, as reported in the “New Osnabruck Newspaper” (Thursday edition). In 2024, a total of 255 crimes with a connection to refugee shelters were recorded, compared to 176 in 2023 and 284 in 2017.
“Given the worrying rightward shift in society in recent years, it is not surprising that racists feel emboldened to threaten, physically attack, or destroy the shelters of refugees” said Clara Bünger, an Interior Policy spokesperson for the Left Party. She also attributed the increase in crimes to the consensus among other parties, from the SPD to the AfD, that they want to admit as few refugees as possible. Refugees are being marked as enemies and invaders and are intended to be rejected as broadly as possible at the borders.
According to the response from the Federal Ministry of the Interior, there have been 30 politically motivated crimes against refugee shelters in the first quarter of 2025, with police identifying suspects in six cases. The number of crimes against refugees outside shelters has also increased, with 2,271 cases recorded in 2024, including 287 violent attacks resulting in 235 injuries. While this number is slightly lower than the 2,450 cases in 2023, it remains at a high level. In the first quarter of this year, there were 249 such cases, with suspects identified in about half of them.
“The number of insults, threats and attacks against refugees has been alarmingly high for years and it is infuriating that this situation is being dismissed by large parts of politics and society” complained Left Party politician Bünger. She called for action to address the issue and protect refugees.