In Germany, the number of racially motivated attacks rose by more than 20 percent in 2013 compared to the previous year, Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière said in Berlin on Wednesday.
Presenting the annual report on extremist, anti-constitutional activities in Germany, de Maiziere warned that every second far-right extremist was prepared to use violence. The number of recorded violent xenophobic and racist attacks jumped from 393 in 2012 to 473 in 2013, according to the report. Targets of violence were often asylum seekers.
Violent anti-Semitic incidents rose from 36 in 2012 to 45 in 2013, according to the report.
De Maizière highlighted the need to fight Islamist terrorism and said the number of salafists and jihadists active in Germany was growing constantly. Mentioning the deadly attack at the Jewish Museum of Brussels last month, the minister warned that such an incident could also happen in Germany, and he urged closer international cooperation between security services.
According to the report, the internet is a key tool to disseminate openly anti-Semitic materials which are otherwise banned in Germany and also to popularize an 'individual Jihad'.
Download the full report in German by clicking on this link.
