Right-Wing Extremism Gaining Ground in Germany: FES Survey

On Thursday, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation (FES) published a report showing that far-right views appear to have penetrated deeper into German society, with 8 percent of the public now sharing a right-wing extremist worldview.

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The share of respondents with a "clearly right-wing extremist orientation" increased significantly from around 2 to 3 percent in previous years, according to the survey conducted every two years in cooperation with Bielefeld University.

"Parts of the society are distancing themselves from democracy or have lost confidence in functioning institutions. Populism and anti-democratic and ethno-nationalist positions are on the rise," FES Chairman Martin Schulz said.

“The results are not only frightening, but also demand consistent action -- from politicians, but also from society itself," he warned.

According to the Federal Interior Ministry's Annual Report on the Protection of the Constitution, the number of extremist crimes in Germany reached an all-time high in 2022. Over 35,400 crimes with an extremist motivation were reported last year.

Earlier this week, Germany banned the internationally active right-wing extremist group Hammerskins, an offshoot of the U.S. Hammerskin Nation. It is the 20th right-wing extremist group deemed illegal by the country's government.

"With this ban, we are putting an end to the inhuman activities of an internationally active neo-Nazi group in Germany," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement, calling the measure a "hard blow against organized right-wing extremism."