Since Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel a year ago, almost 700 anti-Semitic crimes have been registered in Bavaria – a record number. A total of 687 crimes were recorded by the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) within the past twelve months – up to and including the end of September – as the Ministry of the Interior announced at the request of the German Press Agency. After a total of 317 anti-Semitic crimes were counted in the last quarter of 2023 alone, another 370 were added by the end of September.
The crimes recorded so far this year include 198 crimes of sedition and 75 crimes of propaganda, but also 23 crimes of property damage and eight crimes of bodily harm. The suspected terrorist attack in Munich on September 5th was also included in the statistics: an 18-year-old Austrian shot at the Israeli consulate general and the Nazi documentation center before he was killed by the police. The crime is currently listed in the LKA statistics as an attempted homicide and as anti-Semitic.
Strong increase in numbers as early as the end of 2023
For the past year 2023, the authorities had also reported a record number of 589 anti-Semitic crimes. After Hamas attacked Israel on October 7th and the subsequent Israeli war in the Gaza Strip, the numbers exploded. In the first nine months of 2024, there were 370 crimes, around a hundred more crimes than in the same period last year. For comparison: In 2019, the State Criminal Police Office counted 310 anti-Semitic crimes, in 2020 there were 353, in 2021 there were 510 and in 2022 there were 358 such acts.
The Interior Ministry emphasizes that the safety of Israeli and Jewish fellow citizens and the protection of their facilities have a very high priority. “We do everything legally and actually possible to prevent or stop any form of violence, even if 100% safety cannot be guaranteed,” the authority says. The fight against hate crime will be significantly strengthened: “No perpetrator can feel safe in Bavaria, we will not leave those who are injured alone.”
“Middle East conflict increases the potential danger”
The Interior Ministry emphasizes that Jewish and Israeli people and institutions are at particular risk – although there are currently no specific indications of danger for Bavaria. “The Middle East conflict in particular increases the risk potential. Our security authorities are therefore extremely vigilant.”
Most recently, the Anti-Semitism Research and Information Center (Rias) Bavaria reported a drastic increase in the number of cases after October 7, 2023. Rias documented 527 anti-Semitic incidents related to Israel in the Free State alone in the first six months after the Hamas attack. These included five attacks, twelve targeted damages to property, 19 threats, eleven mass messages and 480 cases of hurtful behavior, including 127 meetings.
