Attacks hostile to refugees in the Federal Republic of Germany

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Trassenheide refugee accommodation after arson attack, November 15, 2015

Attacks hostile to refugees in the Federal Republic of Germany have been going on since the founding of this state in 1949, strongly increased since the reunification of Germany in 1990 and again since the refugee crisis in Europe in 2015 . This includes direct verbal and physical crimes against refugees, refugee shelters , facilities for asylum seekers and resettlers , where xenophobic , xenophobic , right-wing extremist and racist motives of the perpetrators are evident, proven or likely.

The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) recorded since 2001 politically motivated crime by perpetrators motivation broken into the phenomenon fields " left ", " right " and " foreigners " (presumably influenced by non-German origin attitude of the offender crucial for committing a crime), and for "foreigners / asylum". This includes offenses related to the “accommodation of asylum seekers” during demonstrations, outside of accommodation or via the Internet . Since January 2014, direct offenses “against asylum accommodation” have been recorded separately, i.e. against “existing, under construction and planned reception facilities, communal accommodation and apartments of asylum seekers, persons entitled to asylum and persons with refugee protection or attacks on the named persons within the accommodation”. Since 2016, the BKA has also been recording crimes against refugees outside of the refugee accommodation as a whole.

The BKA situation report “Crime in the context of immigration” showed, however, “that those seeking protection are mainly attacked by other foreigners.” In 2018, only 18 percent of the cases in which asylum seekers and refugees were registered as victims of a crime were recorded German suspects have been identified (2017: 15 percent). Furthermore, Germans are significantly more likely to be victims of serious crimes ( against life , sexual self-determination , personal freedom and crimes of brutality ) committed by immigrants than vice versa.

Since 1990, some initiatives against right-wing extremism in Germany have recorded the deaths of right-wing extremist violence in the Federal Republic of Germany , but not yet separately the attacks on asylum seekers, repatriates, refugees and institutions intended for them. Since 2005, some initiatives have kept chronicles of right-wing violence against refugees and asylum seekers for individual federal states, which are based on government information and reliable media reports. The Pro Asyl association and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation (AAS) have been keeping a chronicle of incidents hostile to refugees since 2014 . It is the only nationwide chronicle that specifically documents racially motivated attacks on refugees and should enable a comparison with the information provided by the BKA.

year Rights offenses against asylum seekers (BKA) Attacks on refugee accommodation (BKA / AAS) Assault on Individuals (AAS) Crimes against refugees outside of the refugee accommodation (BKA) Injured refugees (BKA / AAS)
2011 18th
2012 12 24
2013 133 58
2014 482 177/247 81
2015 1305 1031/1077 190
2016 988/1578 385 2545 560/472
2017 264/1387 326

Historical development

Before 1990

Right-wing violence in Germany has always been directed against certain minorities such as Jews , foreigners, asylum seekers, homosexuals , the disabled and political opponents. Since considerably more repatriates and ethnic German repatriates as well as emigrants from the states of the Warsaw Pact came to Germany, the number of attacks on them has increased: in 1988 there were four arson attacks against refugee homes, nine against accommodation for asylum seekers. Two of them could be cleared up. In 1989 there were 19 presumably politically motivated arson attacks on refugee accommodation. Eleven of them met asylum seekers 'homes, three foreigners' homes, three refugee homes, one each a resettler home and one migrant home. Two of the arson attacks could be solved.

1990 to 2013

From 1990 onwards, attacks on people who had fled to Germany increased significantly. People have been killed in several attacks on refugee shelters. The riots in Hoyerswerda (September 1991) and Rostock-Lichtenhagen (August 1992) received particular attention . There were also assassinations of people of Turkish origin in Germany, such as the Mölln assassination attempt (November 1992) and the Solingen assassination attempt (May 1993). Ten people died in the unexplained Lübeck arson attack (January 1996).

Since then, civil society initiatives have increasingly addressed this right-wing violence. From 1990 the foundation researched “Retrospect” deaths and other alleged right-wing attacks. From 1998 the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, founded at the time, took over this task. In 2001, the Stern magazine founded the Mut gegen Right-Wing Violence initiative , which provides general information on right-wing activities and racist attacks, for example with annual summaries. This initiative and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation have been working closely together since 2003 and jointly publish the statistics of right-wing attacks. Since 2005, the Mobile Advice Against Right-Wing Extremism in Thuringia (MOBIT) has published a specific chronicle of right-wing extremist attacks, including on refugees; since 2006, the Regional Office for Education, Integration and Democracy Saxony and the State-wide Victims Advice , Assistance and Information for Victims of Right-Wing Violence (LOBBI) in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania . In most federal states such chronicles are still missing today. Other unspecific chronicles of right-wing violence can be found at other victim advice centers. Since the NSU's series of right-wing terrorist murders became known in 2011, the state of Brandenburg has had right-wing attacks investigated by external experts. The Moses Mendelssohn Center of the University of Potsdam , which consulted representatives of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, was commissioned to do this .

Since 2014

The situation in the crisis regions has worsened since 2014, and a larger proportion of refugees worldwide have reached Europe.

The Federal Criminal Police Office has the following figures on politically motivated crime:

Since the refugee crisis in Europe in 2015 , acts of violence against refugees, shelters intended for them, threats, stone throwing, arson attacks and bodily harm have multiplied compared to previous years. These included attacks on supporters, aid organizations, politicians from established parties, church representatives, officials and journalists. These acts were promoted through "No to Home" campaigns by the NPD , Islamophobic rallies by PEGIDA and similar actions by right-wing extremist and right-wing populist groups. The right-wing extremist small parties of the III. Weg and Dierechte participated openly in part.

By the end of August, the BKA registered 335 (twice as many as in 2014), and by September 21, 437 right-wing crimes against asylum seekers' accommodation. Mostly it was property damage, propaganda offenses and sedition, but also 59 acts of violence, including 26 arson. By the end of September, the BKA had recorded 461 cases of “politically motivated right-wing crime”, including 147 property damage, 97 propaganda offenses, 61 incitement to hatred, 29 bodily harm and 28 arson. The BKA warned of further serious, right-wing acts of violence, including against accommodation operators and politicians. In view of the persistently high number of refugees who have fled to Germany, the right-wing scene will intensify its “agitation” against asylum policy. The otherwise “very heterogeneous right-wing extremist spectrum” found an “ideological consensus” on this topic. According to Die Zeit , “222 [serious] violent attacks on refugee shelters” were committed in Germany from January to November 2015, and 104 people were injured in attacks. Only five percent of the offenses were cleared up.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution feared “that a new organized right- wing terrorism could emerge”. BKA boss Holger Münch also saw the danger of radicalization among German refugee opponents, but not an increased danger for internal security from the refugees. The BKA sees not only “long-established rights” as the perpetrators of the attacks, but also many who have not previously been noticed as politically motivated criminals. At the beginning of October, Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière commented on the massive increase in violent acts hostile to refugees to over 490: Two thirds of the suspects identified are "citizens [...] who live in the respective regions and who have so far not got into debt". The increase is "worrying" and "a shame for Germany". In addition, the open violence is accompanied by insults and hateful language. A barrier to civilization had fallen, and "clandestine approval" was not allowed. After the assassination attempt on Henriette Reker, he renewed these assessments.

A total of 228 suspects were identified in 106 offenses, including 14 repeat offenders. According to the BKA, the suspects are predominantly men between the ages of 18 and 35, most of whom (two out of three) committed offenses in their place of residence. Two thirds were known to the police, and according to the authorities, two thirds had not yet had any contact with the right-wing extremist spectrum. The remaining third, on the other hand, clearly comes from the right-wing scene, a total of 72 people, 38 of whom are members of a right-wing extremist organization. According to the BKA, there are currently no indications that the attacks can be controlled. In October 2015, the critical police officers criticized the low clear-up rate and the lack of will to investigate the crimes.

In mid-December, the BKA announced that the number of crimes had more than quadrupled in 2015 compared to 2014. By December 7, 817 cases (including 133 violent crimes) had been registered, of which at least 733 were attacks by right-wing perpetrators. The BKA proves the total number of attacks for 2015 at 887.

Despite a significant decline in the number of refugees, the number of attacks on them rose significantly by mid-June 2016 compared to the previous year. By then, the BKA had registered 563 crimes, including 97 violent crimes and 51 arson attacks against asylum shelters. In addition, refugees were attacked in 824 cases outside of homes and apartments, for example at bus stops and other public places, including 147 violent crimes and four attempted killing. Since the beginning of the year, the BKA has registered these attacks separately from those on the accommodation. In addition, 202 attacks “against officials and elected officials in connection with the asylum issue” were counted, among them especially MPs, police officers and social workers. Mostly it was insults or threats. There were 76 attacks against aid organizations and volunteers, including three acts of violence. The BKA also feared better "crime opportunities" for right-wing perpetrators. In the meantime, more than a million refugees are housed in homes and apartments nationwide, the number of potential targets has grown accordingly.

Pro Asyl and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation registered almost three times as high numbers in the first half of 2016 as in the first half of 2015, namely 715 attacks, of which 90 arson attacks, 126 physical assaults and 202 injured. They criticized the information provided by the BKA as being distorted.

In August the BKA repeated its warning. Up until then it had found 665 crimes against asylum shelters, 613 of which were committed by right-wing offenders. 118 violent crimes are assumed, including 55 arson, 9 offenses against the Explosives Act and 4 times causing an explosive explosion. 262 property damage, 148 propaganda offenses such as the use of symbols of unconstitutional organizations were committed. Despite a significant decline in the number of refugees, the number of attacks remains "alarmingly high". There is a "threatening level of right-wing violence".

By September, the BKA counted 705 attacks on refugee accommodation, including 57 arson attacks and 67 other acts of violence. According to BKA President Holger Münch , it is conspicuous and “frightening” that around three quarters of the suspects identified were not previously known to the police as extremists. You can also observe the formation of local networks that have agreed to attack refugee shelters. The formation of terrorist groups is promoted in this way. According to Münch, this development is being promoted in particular by the Alternative for Germany (AfD). You have "made xenophobia ... socially acceptable", provide the ideological breeding ground and give the agitation a legal paint. Racists have the feeling that their worldview is socially acceptable. The inhibition threshold for such acts is sinking. For 2015 and 2016 INURI collected first overviews and statistics on causes and causers from media and police reports and published them in specialist media.

Pro Asyl and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation counted 1713 incidents in 2017, fewer cases than in the previous year. According to the activists, these included 23 arson attacks and 326 physical attacks. The remaining 1364 cases were presented in a summary, which, according to Pro Asyl, contained a sum of stone throws, firecrackers, shots, right-wing graffiti, threats and other cases.

According to the Interior Ministry, there were a total of 627 attacks on refugees and 77 attacks on their accommodation in the first half of 2018. At 688, the majority of all acts were motivated by right-wing extremists. 120 people were injured. The police identified 459 suspects. In addition, there were 39 politically motivated attacks against aid organizations or volunteers who work for refugees in the first half of this year.

Annual lists from 1990

See also

literature

  • Wolfgang Frindte, Jörg Neumann (Hrsg.): Violent xenophobia. Biographies and courses of action. Springer VS, Wiesbaden 2002, ISBN 978-3-322-87345-3
  • Frank Neubacher: Xenophobic Arson Attacks: A criminological-empirical investigation of perpetrators, the background of the crime and judicial processing in juvenile criminal proceedings. Forum, Godesberg 1998, ISBN 3930982277
  • Ulrike Hess: Xenophobic Violence in Germany: A Sociological Analysis. Profile, 1996, ISBN 3890193781
  • Dieter Staas: Migration and xenophobia as a political problem. LIT, 1994, ISBN 382582330X
  • Helmut Willems: Xenophobic Violence. Attitudes - perpetrators - conflict escalation. Springer VS, Wiesbaden 1993, ISBN 978-3-322-96049-8
  • Hans-Uwe Otto, Roland Merten (ed.): Right-wing extremist violence in a united Germany. Youth in social upheaval. Springer VS, Wiesbaden 1993, ISBN 978-3-322-97285-9

Web links

2012 ff.
2014
2015
2016

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Answer of the federal government to the small question of the members Monika Lazar, Luise Amtsberg, Volker Beck (Cologne), other members and the parliamentary group ALLIANCE 90 / THE GREENS - printed matter 18/6513 - questions about the police situation description of attacks against refugee accommodation (PDF ), German Bundestag , Drucksache 18/7000, December 14, 2015, pp. 2–3
  2. ↑ Marcel Leubecher: Violence by immigrants against Germans is increasing , WeltN24, April 10, 2019.
  3. ↑ Courage against right-wing violence : Chronicle of the fatalities of right-wing extremist and racist violence since 1990
  4. ↑ Courage against right-wing violence: Right- wing agitation against refugees: A Chronicle of Violence (2014); Chronicle of incidents hostile to refugees (2015/16); see also Netz gegen Nazis : Monthly Chronicles
  5. ^ A b c Jörg Diehl: BKA warning of violence: More than 500 attacks on refugee homes. In: Spiegel Online . October 22, 2015, accessed October 22, 2015 .
  6. ↑ a b Xenophobia: the number of attacks on asylum seekers' homes has doubled. In: zeit.de . March 2, 2014, accessed September 21, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Jörg Diehl: Wave of violence: BKA counts more than a thousand attacks on refugee homes. In: Spiegel Online . January 28, 2016, accessed September 21, 2016 .
  8. ^ Right- wing agitation against refugees - A Chronicle of Violence 2014 ( Memento from September 20, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), Courage against right-wing violence, December 31, 2014
  9. ↑ Crime: BKA boss warns of the danger of new right-wing terrorist cells . Süddeutsche Zeitung , June 25, 2016, accessed on August 26, 2020 .
  10. ↑ a b Courage Against Right Violence. In: mut-gegen-rechte-gewalt.de. December 29, 2015, accessed September 24, 2016 .
  11. ↑ sueddeutsche.de: More than 3500 attacks on refugees
  12. ↑ Chronicle of incidents hostile to refugees, 2016, accessed on February 13, 2017
  13. ↑ Chronicle of incidents hostile to refugees, 2016, accessed on February 13, 2017
  14. ↑ sueddeutsche.de: More than 3500 attacks on refugees
  15. ↑ sueddeutsche.de: More than 3500 attacks on refugees
  16. ↑ Chronicle of incidents hostile to refugees, 2016, accessed on February 26, 2017
  17. ^ Right- wing attacks on refugee homes: 251 cases by mid-December. In: taz.de . December 22, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017 .
  18. ↑ proasyl.de: Violence against refugees 2017: There can be no talk of the all-clear
  19. ↑ proasyl.de: Violence against refugees 2017: There can be no talk of the all-clear
  20. ^ Written questions with the answers of the federal government received in the week of January 22, 1990. BT printed matter 11/6323 of January 26, 1990
  21. ↑ Courage against right-wing violence: That was 2011 ( Memento from September 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ); That was in 2012 ( memento of the original from September 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. and other @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mut-gegen-rechte-gewalt.de
  22. ↑ Mobit.org (Ed.): Chronicle of extreme right-wing activities in Thuringia
  23. ^ RAA Sachsen eV: Chronicle of right-wing and racist activities in Saxony ( memento of the original from September 27, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / raa-sachsen.de
  24. ↑ Attacks on refugees' accommodation and other intimidating acts in the immediate vicinity
  25. ^ Victim Fund Cura : Help for those affected / advice centers ( Memento from September 24, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  26. ↑ Anna Brausam (Courage against right-wing violence, July 30, 2015): Fatalities of right-wing violence since 1990
  27. ↑ BKA : Key statements "Crime in the context of immigration" Observation period: 01.01. - September 30, 2016 ( Memento of the original from January 13, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.bka.de
  28. ^ MDR, April 7, 2015: death threat against employees of the Dresden Kreuzkirche ( memento of April 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive ); Spiegel, July 19, 2015: Refugees in Halberstadt: Young people throw stones at helpers of the Red Cross ; MDR, July 25, 2015: Violence on the edge of the refugee tent city in Dresden ( Memento from June 15, 2016 in the Internet Archive ); Heinrich Schmitz (Tagesspiegel, August 10, 2015): A declaration of surrender ; Die Zeit, October 13, 2015: Pegida: Igniting is no longer enough for them ; SZ, September 26, 2015: THW condemns attacks in Niederau ; Tagesspiegel, October 14, 2015: Cem Özdemir: The gallows borders on a "call to murder" ; rbb, October 14, 2015: Arson attack on refugee helpers ( memento of the original from January 9, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.rbb-online.de
  29. ^ Die Zeit, August 4, 2015: "The III. Way": Neo-Nazi party is said to be involved in arson attacks
  30. ↑ Justus Bender, Albert Schäffer (FAZ, October 23, 2015): The “Rights” party does not distance itself from suspects
  31. ↑ n-tv, September 28, 2015: The day: Attacks on refugee homes are increasing dramatically
  32. ^ Die Zeit, December 3, 2015: Violence against refugees
  33. ^ Die Zeit, August 28, 2015: Crime: Fear of newly organized right-wing terrorism
  34. ↑ Deutschlandfunk, October 11th, 2015: Interview of the week - "Then other missions fall down at the back"
  35. ^ Spiegel, October 9, 2015: Refugees: De Maizière complains about increasing violence against asylum seekers
  36. ↑ Tagesspiegel, October 18, 2015: Knife attack on Henriette Reker: Thomas de Maizière sees "evidence of radicalization of the refugee debate"
  37. ↑ Why is the investigation into arson attacks on refugee accommodation so slow? Interview by Radio Corax with Thomas Wüppesahl , freie-radios.net, October 8, 2015
  38. ^ Spiegel, December 9, 2015: Federal Criminal Police Office: Attacks on asylum shelters quadrupled in 2015
  39. ↑ Jörg Diehl (Spiegel, January 12, 2016): Right-wing extremists to Cologne: Dangerous hatred
  40. ↑ Der Tagesspiegel, June 20, 2016: BKA on attacks on refugees: the number of violent racist crimes is "alarmingly" high
  41. ^ Marius Münstermann: New Dimension of Violence ( Memento from September 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive ), Der Stern, June 30, 2016
  42. ↑ FAZ, August 2, 2016: 665 crimes against asylum accommodation
  43. ↑ migazin.de, September 5, 2016: AfD breeding ground for agitation - BKA boss fears more attacks on refugee accommodation
  44. ↑ Inuri.de, March 11, 2016: Fire incidents in refugee accommodation : First results of a fire statistics evaluation ( Memento from September 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  45. ^ "Violence against refugees 2017: There can be no talk of the all-clear" proasyl.de of December 28, 2017
  46. ↑ Xenophobia: More than 700 attacks on refugees in the first half of the year , Tagesspiegel, August 12, 2018