Political violence in Germany has seen a dramatic rise in 2025, with 2,210 criminal offenses targeting members of Bundestag parties recorded in the first half of the year—a 165% increase compared to the previous six months.
The figures come from a federal government response to a parliamentary inquiry submitted by Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) lawmaker Martin Hess, reported by Junge Freiheit. According to the report, most of the suspects are believed to come from the left-wing spectrum.
Unsurprisingly, once again, the AfD—which in the latest poll is in a dead heat with Merz’s CDU/CSU at 25% each—was the primary target, with 808 reported incidents. However, attacks against the center-right CDU/CSU bloc also rose sharply, reaching 545 cases, nearly five times the 110 incidents reported in the latter half of 2024.
Other parties were also affected: the Greens reported 477 cases, the social democratic SPD 362, Die Linke 114, and even the FDP, despite having become mostly irrelevant, 103.
The number of crimes against politicians has already surpassed all previous half-year records. In 2021, the previous high stood at 2,934 incidents for the full year. By mid-2025, 2,210 such crimes had already been registered. Attacks against AfD representatives increased from 730 to 808 cases in just six months.
The federal government, however, denies that there is any systematic intimidation going on against the AfD. In its official response, it stated that there is no indication of “planned, targeted threats or intimidation” against the party.
Martin Hess disagrees and points to inflammatory rhetoric from left-wing politicians as part of the problem: “When, for example, the chairwoman of the Green Youth, Jette Nietzard, publicly suggests using armed force against the AfD, this contributes to legitimizing such acts in the eyes of violent extremists.”
Government officials, including Minister of Justice Stefanie Hubig (SPD), have also argued for potentially banning the AfD—without specifying in what ways the party “threatens the democratic order.”
