Neo-Nazi demos in Berlin: Thousands of protesters on the street!

Neo-Nazi demos in Berlin: Thousands of protesters on the street!

On March 22, 2023, around 600 people gathered at Alexanderplatz in Berlin under the right alliance "Together for Germany". At the same time, a protest of young neo-Nazi groups took place in Berlin-Friedrichshain, which caused more sensation. For this day, demonstrations were organized nationwide in all 16 federal states, in which a mixture of peace -moved, lateral thinkers and right -wing extremists occurred. In Berlin, the organizers announced a demonstration with 3,500 registered participants who should start at 2 p.m. on Grunerstrasse and lead to the "Mall of Berlin". The demands included nationwide border controls and a stop of the military aids for Ukraine. Another demonstration in Oranienburg was planned in Brandenburg, in which members of the neo-Nazi group "German youth" were expected.

A member of this group was recently convicted of violent offenses, which increases concern about the increasing radicalization of such groups. At the same time, various organizations in numerous cities mobilized counter -demonstrations against the right -wing marches. In Berlin, the organizers expected around 1,500 participants for a protest, which was supposed to start at the Warsaw at 12.30 p.m.

neo-Nazi demonstrations and police operation

In another demonstration last Saturday, around 860 neo-Nazis came together in Berlin-Friedrichshain. This event was accompanied by around 2,000 counter-demonstrators who tried to block the neo-Nazi demo. The police were deployed with a massive line -up of around 1,600 officers, supported by forces from Bavaria and Bremen. Despite the strong presence, the demonstration train of the neo -Nazis could only move about 100 meters and then had to be canceled.

The clashes led to about 90 arrests on both sides. Police officers were confronted with pepper spray and there were attacks on the emergency services accompanied by bottle throws. In recent years there has been an alarming increase in right-wing extremist demonstrations that climbed in a total of 367 in 2023, which has been a maximum of Corona protection measures.

rising numbers in right -wing extremism

According to the protection of the constitution, the personal potential of violence -oriented right -wing extremists in Germany is growing. In 2023, around 14,500 people were counted, an increase compared to previous years. Likewise, the total number of right -wing extremist personal potential rose to 40,600, which is 1,800 more than in 2022. The number of right -wing extremist crimes in 2023 was a total of 25,660 crimes, whereby the violent attacks on 1,148 have increased.

The physical injury offenses with xenophobic background, which rose to 874 in the course of 2023, are particularly worrying. Exemplary acts of violence increased by 17.2 %. These figures illustrate the importance of the topic of "migration and asylum" for the extreme right, while the number of right -wing extremist music events has achieved a maximum. In the current situation, it remains to be seen how the protest movements and the reaction of society will affect these developments.

Overall, the current events in Berlin and the statistical data of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution reflect the alarming dynamics of the right -wing extremist scene in Germany as well as the challenges associated with this for society and the security authorities.

For more detailed information about the incidents in Berlin, we refer to the article by Tagesspiegel Police missions on rbb24 . Further context information on right-wing extremism is summarized in the report of the Constitutional Protection.