An anti-Muslim discrimination organization in Germany says the rate of Islamophobic crimes in the country more than doubled in 2023.
Figures from Claim - a coalition against Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims in Germany - show that in 2023 there were a total of 1,926 criminal cases related to Islamophobia in the country, an increase of more than 1,000 cases compared to 2022. The most common forms of crime were assault, insults, discrimination, and threats. In 10 cases, there was physical harm.
Claim said the conflict between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip had a significant impact on anti-Muslim crime statistics in Germany, with more than 60% of anti-Semitic crimes in 2023 occurring after the conflict began on October 7 of that year.
This is the second time the Claim alliance has published a report on discrimination and Islamophobia, following the first report last year. This year's report is being released alongside a public awareness campaign. Claim director Rima Hanano believes that discrimination and Islamophobia are emerging from within German society.