Germany sees sharp rise in Islamist-motivated antisemitic crimes since October 7

NOVEMBER 3, 2026 21:08Islamist-motivated antisemitic crimes are on the rise in Germany, according to a newly published response by the German government to a parliamentary question, citing Federal Criminal Police Office data.German authorities recorded 670 antisemitic offenses classified as Islamist in 2025, a 6% increase from the previous year.Greens MP Lamya Kaddor asked the federal government last month what figures it has regarding antisemitic incidents in Muslim or Islamist contexts before and after October 7, 2023.Parliamentary State Secretary Christoph de Vries responded with data from the Criminal Police Reporting Service for Politically Motivated Crime (KPMD-PMK). This revealed 16 cases of Islamist-motivated antisemitic crimes in 2022 and 33 from January 1, 2023, to October 6, 2023. In the just three months following October 7, 2023, there were 331 incidents. This almost doubled to 631 in 2024, and now 670 in 2025.Outlet WELT AM SONNTAG gained access to the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) breakdown of incidents. It reported that almost half of them concerned the use of signs of banned organizations such as Hezbollah and the so-called Islamic State. In addition, the BKA registered numerous incidents of antisemitic graffiti, insults, and threats. The most serious was attempted homicide: a knife attack by a Syrian on a Spanish tourist at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin in February 2025.Protesters attend the ''United for Palestine'' demonstration in Berlin, Germany, October 10, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/CHRISTIAN MANG)6,548 antisemitic offenses reported in Germany across all ideological categoriesOn X/Twitter, Kaddor said: “Islamist antisemitism must be decisively combated, without placing Muslims under general suspicion.”“For this, effective prevention, reliable data, and cooperation with Muslim communities are needed, instead of cuts and generalizations,” she added.It is important to note that 670 is not the total number of antisemitic crimes in Germany in 2025. The nation recorded 6,548 antisemitic offenses across all ideological categories last year. Of these, 3,163 (48.3%) had an Israel-related connection. Right-wing extremism remained the largest ideological category.Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews, told German media: “Today, Islamist-influenced hatred of Jews is being unleashed quite openly on the streets, at universities, and on the Internet.”German Islam Conference puts antisemitism at forefrontIn his response to Kaddor, however, De Vries said Germany is putting in efforts to prevent and combat antisemitism, noting that this has been a central aim of the German Islam Conference (DIK) since 2011.The DIK is the central dialogue forum established by the German federal government to promote regular communication between state authorities (federal, regional, and local) and Muslims and their representatives in Germany.De Vries said DIK’s focus has been on “empowering Muslim organizations and individuals in the fight against antisemitism and strengthening Jewish-Muslim dialogue” through workshops, special events, and conferences.Following Hamas’s terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, the DIK further intensified its examination and discussion of approaches to preventing antisemitism.One project subsequently initiated under the DIK, run by the Anne Frank Educational Center, focuses on combating online antisemitism in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It also introduced new approaches aimed at strengthening Jewish-Muslim dialogue as a means of preventing antisemitism.Follow us on Google