Far-right crime in Germany rose last year, with more acts of xenophobia and anti-Semitism

BERLIN – Germany says far-right crime rose last year, fueled by an increasing number of xenophobic and anti-Semitic acts.

Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich vowed Monday to increase police pressure on far-right groups "so that all people, regardless of their origin, can feel safe in Germany."

His ministry said the number of politically motivated crimes by the far-right overall rose by 4.4 percent from 16,873 in 2011 to 17,616 in 2012, of which 842 were violent crimes. Non-violent crimes include vandalism and spreading far-right propaganda.

The ministry says the number of hate crimes directed at foreigners increased by 16.5 percent to 2,922. The number of anti-Semitic crimes rose by 10.6 percent to 1,374.

Crimes committed by leftist groups dropped sharply by 29 percent from 1,809 to 1,291 in 2012.