Germany: Federal Criminal Police Office warns of xenophobic violence

[unhappycamper]

http://www.dw.com/en/federal-criminal-police-office-warns-of-xenophobic-violence/a-18798780

The number of attacks against refugee shelters has more than doubled this year compared to 2014. The Federal Criminal Police Office fears that right-wing extremists will intensify their anti-refugee violence.

Federal Criminal Police Office warns of xenophobic violence
22.10.2015

Asylum-seekers, people who help them and politicians are increasingly at risk of becoming the targets of xenophobic crimes. According to the newspaper "Sueddeutsche Zeitung" and German public broadcasters WDR and NRD, this is the conclusion of a confidential report of the Federal Criminal Office (BKA). The report was written a few days before the knife attack on Coloogne mayoral candidate Henriette Reker on Saturday. The attack on the politician who was elected mayor on Sunday - and who is known for her pro-refugee stance and organization of migrant accommodation in Cologne - was motivated by xenophobia.

The Federal Criminal Police Office expected right-wing extremists to intensify their "agitation" against Germany's asylum policy. Although the right-wing spectrum was "very heterogenous" in Germany, the refugee issue provided it with an "ideological consensus."

Beside asylum seekers, their helpers and politicians with a pro-refugee stance, even foreign-looking Germans who could be mistaken for asylum seekers were in danger of being attacked by extremists, the report stated.

The threat of right-wing terrorism

According to the BKA's assessment, the number of attacks on refugee shelters has increased dramatically. In the first three quarters of this year, the Federal Criminal Police Office registered 461 crimes that are thought to be motivated by xenophobia. Thus, the number of such crimes has more than doubled compared to the previous year.