Statistics of Right-Wing Violence in Brandenburg
Opferperspektive (»Victims’ Perspective«) has been analyzing registered acts of right-wing violence since 2002.
In 2007, 137 cases of right-wing violence were recorded in Brandenburg (updated: February, 25th 2008). This figure will most likely increase, as further incidents for that period might be reported. The number of cases is almost as high as it was in 2006 and 2005, when 140 attacks had been recorded. In 2007, the number of injured parties was 233. An additional group of 89 persons was secondarily affected as they accompagnied victims when an attack occured (2006: 186 and 73). Approximately three-fourths of right-wing crimes result in physical injuries; in 2007, this was the case in 99 out of 137 attacks.
Number of Crimes and Injured Parties
| Statistics (Source) | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Violent crimes (Opferperspektive) | 130 | 117 | 137 | 140 | 140 | 137 |
| Violent crimes (State Criminal Police Office) | 78 | 87 | 105 | 97 | 90 | 93 |
| Directly injured parties (Opferperspektive) | 171 | 152 | 179 | 196 | 206 | 233 |
updated: March, 7th, 2008
The statistics from the »Landeskriminalamt (LKA)« (State Criminal Police Office) cannot be directly compared, because Opferperspektive includes threats, coercion and property damage in its definition of politically motivated right-wing crime and the LKA does not. Even so, there were significant discrepancies in the recorded figures of politically motivated crimes until 2005. Since 2006 Opferperspektive’s statistics also include cases that were disclosed exclusively to the LKA. Opferperspektive added these cases to its data based on answers that the State Government of Brandenburg gave the Left Party’s Parliamentary Group on a regular basis in response to the party’s minor petitions.
Number of Crimes According to Motivation
| Motivation | 2006 | 2007 |
| Racism | 50 | 64 |
| Anti-Semitism | 8 | 1 |
| Homophobia | 0 | 0 |
| Against handicapped | 1 | 0 |
| Against socially excluded | 0 | 0 |
| Against political opponents | 30 | 24 |
| Against »nicht Rechte« | 42 | 38 |
| Unfiled | 1 | 0 |
| Unspecified | 8 | 9 |
updated: February, 25th 2008
One out of two acts of violence are motivated by racism. Just under half the attacks were committed against political opponents and punks, leftists, and youths not willing to associate with the right-wing, the latter being comprised within the category »nicht Rechte«. Violence against the homeless can seldom be accounted for — and only when the incident is deemed extremely serious. Similarly, anti-Semitic crimes and attacks against homosexuals and the handicapped are rarely recorded.
Number of Crimes According to County
| County | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Barnim | 10 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| Brandenburg an der Havel | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Cottbus | 13 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 13 |
| Dahme-Spreewald | 12 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 5 |
| Elbe-Elster | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Frankfurt (Oder) | 5 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 13 | 7 |
| Havelland | 14 | 18 | 24 | 17 | 11 | 11 |
| Märkisch-Oderland | 4 | 7 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
| Oberhavel | 6 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 9 |
| Oberspreewald-Lausitz | 7 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Oder-Spree | 3 | 1 | 12 | 15 | 7 | 9 |
| Ostprignitz-Ruppin | 9 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 8 |
| Potsdam | 12 | 15 | 15 | 27 | 22 | 15 |
| Potsdam-Mittelmark | 2 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 |
| Prignitz | 4 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Spree-Neiße | 15 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Teltow-Fläming | 3 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 10 | 10 |
| Uckermark | 8 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 11 |
updated: February, 25th 2008
The table displays the regional distribution of right-wing violence in Brandenburg according to its administrative structure. For several reasons, the counties may not be compared directly. The data provides information only on cases that were disclosed to Opferperspektive, and the information available is not equally extensive in all of the counties. Additionally, there are significant differences in terms of population figures, population density and social structure.
(OPP)
