Europe

Germany sees new rise in far-right offenses, hate crimes

Associated Press
Published | Updated

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere speaks during a press conference on the crime statistics 2016 in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (The Associated Press)

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, right, and the Interior Minister of the German state of Saxony, Markus Ulbig, left, pose for the media prior to a press conference on the crime statistics 2016 in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (The Associated Press)

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, right, and the Interior Minister of the German state of Saxony, Markus Ulbig, left, arrive for a press conference on the crime statistics 2016 in Berlin, Germany, Monday, April 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn) (The Associated Press)

German authorities say that violent crimes with far-right motives rose 14.3 percent last year after a bigger increase in 2015. They also registered another increase in hate crimes.

The Interior Ministry said Monday that 1,698 violent right-wing crimes were recorded in 2016, up from 1,485 the previous year. In 2015, the figure soared as Germany saw a large influx of migrants.

There was a 3.6 percent increase last year in the broader category of "hate crimes" — offenses of a racist or anti-Semitic nature or targeting people because of their religion, often in online posts. They increased to 10,751 from 10,373 after surging in 2015.

The ministry says politically motivated offenses by foreigners rose by two-thirds last year, largely because of the conflict between Turkey and the outlawed PKK.