European Jewry is raising the alarm over a report by German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer that shows the number of crimes committed by far-right extremists in Germany rose last year to its highest level since World War II.
According to Minister Seehofer, German police recorded 23,604 crimes of a far-right nature last year in Germany, a jump of over five percent on the previous year, and the highest figure since records began in 2001.
“Right-wing extremism remains the biggest threat to our country,” the Minister told reporters at a news conference.
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) has expressed alarm at the latest figures released by German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer which show that the number of crimes committed by far-right extremists in Germany rose last year to its highest level since WWII.
“These figures demonstrate that far-right and neo-Nazi ideology is no longer on the fringes but is growing, and it is not remaining behind screens but is manifesting itself in violence and bloodshed,” said EJC President Dr. Moshe Kantor.
“This is a wake-up call, not just for Germany, but for the whole world. These figures should ring alarm bells, because we are seeing similar trends across the western world,” he said.
“We can no longer think that it is a few ‘lone wolves’ and sporadic attacks, but a growing movement that needs to be combatted and suppressed before it grows into something even more threatening,” Kantor added.