Xenophobic attacks
against refugees from the Middle East and Africa have seen an alarming rise
when compared to last year’s figures, soaring to over 800 cases, the latest
data from German police says.
At least 817 attacks on
refugee shelters have been carried out since the beginning of this year,
according to Germany’s Criminal Police Office statistics, which were made
public during a parliamentary session on Wednesday. In contrast, there were only
199 similar crimes recorded in 2014.
The crimes include
arson attacks, property damage, and hate graffiti. The number of arsons, which
amounted to only six in 2014, soared to 65.
More than 750 of the
817 attacks were carried out by right-wing extremists, while in 2014 they were
responsible for 177 out of 199.
Germany’s Justice
Minister Heiko Maas expressed concern over the significant increase in the
number of acts of violence against refugees when the initial figures were
announced last week.
“These numbers are
horrifying. This is shameful that in just a year the number of arsons leaped so
high,” the minister said in an interview with Der Westen newspaper.
“Perpetrators must know
that there is no justification for such actions. We don’t understand and we
won’t forgive them,” he added.
Maas called for a tough
response: “The law shouldn’t just accept that. What is needed is a clear
response. The perpetrators must be found and made accountable.”
“The far-right violence
in Germany has reached a new tragic dimension,” Green Party leader Anton
Hofreiter said in a written statement.
“The interior minister
has described the far-right violence as shameful, but that rhetoric is not
enough. He should act accordingly and make security of refugees one of the key
priorities,” he said.
There were 399
anti-refugee attacks in Germany in 2013, and only 62 in 2012, according to
police statistics.
Fabrizio Bensch /
Reuters
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