Paint at the AFD office: State security investigates deliberate damage!

Paint at the AFD office: State security investigates deliberate damage!

The office of the Berlin AfD district association Treptow-Köpenick was recently daubed with paint. This act of vandalism was noticed on Tuesday around 1 p.m. by a person in charge of the party headquarters and subsequently reported to the police. The officials confirmed at the request of the Daily Mirror the damage. Unknown people had sprayed pink paint on the front door of the office and painted a lettering on a display case that was “against the party”. However, the exact wording of the lettering remained unknown.

The state security agency has taken over the investigation because such acts are classified as politically motivated crime (PMK). This category of crimes is defined as actions aimed at influencing the democratic decision-making process or achieving political goals. The acts can be directed against the free, democratic basic order and can take a wide variety of forms, from damage to property to violent attacks, says Das Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) with.

Polarizing crime in Germany

Politically motivated crime in Germany has increased dramatically in recent years. Around 60,000 politically motivated crimes were registered in 2023, a record high. The extremism that emerges in this context is mainly divided into two main categories: right-wing extremism and left-wing extremism. The proportion of right-wing extremist crimes was around 25,700 in 2023, often involving propaganda and around 1,150 violent crimes.

In addition, the reported Statista about an increasing number of extremist groups, including the “Reichsbürger”, who reject the existence of the Federal Republic and whose members are estimated at around 25,000. In 2023, approximately 1,300 politically motivated crimes were committed by these groups, representing a significant decrease.

The threat posed by politically motivated crimes is also evident among left-wing extremist actors, of which more than 37,000 people were identified in 2023, including half who are considered violence-oriented. This leads to constant monitoring by the Police State Security, which works closely with the BKA.

The latest act of vandalism at the AfD office is part of the larger picture of politically motivated crime in Germany, which is characterized by increasing violence on the one hand and an escalating polarization of the political landscape on the other. State Security will continue to advance the investigation in order to raise awareness of such acts and ensure security in democratic discourse.