Germany

The Holy See reported four cases of desecrations to graveyards, 19 cases of church desecrations including against one Orthodox church, three Protestant and ten Catholic churches; a further 16 church desecrations also involving theft of church property, including against one Protestant and six Catholic churches; and one case of graffiti on a church. German authorities have verified these alleged hate-motivated incidents and confirmed that none of them had been recorded by police with a hate motive.

The Observatory on Intolerance Against Christians reported one incident in which a Christian icon in a public place was vandalized and two cases of vandalism against a church.

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation reported 34 physical assaults, including five by a group, and eight resulting in serious injury. The attacks included physical assaults against a man of African descent who was cleaning bathrooms in a nightclub; against a woman and her children, involving pepper spray; an attack against an Indian student, resulting in his hospitalization; against a Greek restaurant owner resulting in his hospitalization; against two men by a group, resulting in the hospitalization of one man; against an activist supporting Iranian refugees, resulting in his hospitalization; and against a Vietnamese man, almost killing him, in a prison. The victims were mainly people of African descent, and also included several people of Turkish background, a Lebanese woman with her children, a Greek man, a Chinese student and an Indian student.

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation reported a further 14 cases of damage to property, including five arson attacks against houses for asylum seekers, a migrant family’s house and a Lebanese restaurant; and seven incidents of damage to property and/ or graffiti, including on a house for asylum seekers, on both a Turkish restaurant, and an Asian owned restaurant; a series of attacks against another restaurant, including graffiti and bottles being thrown; damage to the home of a Kenyan man after he was followed home; graffiti and property damage against a Turkish family’s house, including sausages being put in shoes outside the front door.

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation reported the desecration of a memorial plaque commemorating racist attacks in Rostock and three cases of threats, including against a man trying to protect another from a racist attack and a threat with a knife against a woman.

Victims' Perspective reported two arson attacks – one against a Turkish snack bar and one against an Asian snack bar – two cases of threats, including one involving a bottle against a Cameroonian man that was stopped by passersby, and one against a Nigerian man; 11 physical assaults, including five resulting in serious injury and three carried out by a group. The victims included a Pakistani street vendor, a man from Angola, a woman from Afghanistan, men from Romania and Kenya, a man of Turkish background, a child at school and a Bosnian family.

The Amadeu Antonio Foundation reported eight anti-Semitic cases of desecration of memorial plaques; seven cases of desecration of cemeteries; three physical assaults, including against a rabbi involving threats and resulting in serious injury, against two Jewish women, and against a group of teenagers by masked men; four cases of damage to property; four cases of desecration of a synagogue, including one incident of urinating in the entrance to the prayer room.

Inssan reported one physical assault by a group against a girl wearing a headscarf, one case of damage to a mosque, one case of desecration that involved a pig’s head being left in front of a mosque and one case of graffiti on a mosque. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation reported four cases of desecration of mosques, including graffiti, and an incident where two pigs’ heads were left at the entrance of a mosque. Victim's Perspective reported one physical assault against a girl wearing a headscarf.

RAA Saxony reported the murder of an older man perceived to have mental health problems. The Amadeu Antonio Foundation reported two physical assaults against homeless men.

Transgender Europe (TGEU) reported three physical assaults against transgender people, including one involving an attack using a car. TGEU reported a further physical assault by a group resulting in serious injuries. The Lesbian and Gay Federation Cologne reported two cases of serious physical assault, both against gay couples. The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL) reported a case of physical assault against two gay Swedish women outside a gay club in Berlin. MANEO and the Amadeu Antonio Foundation reported physical assaults against two gay men in a park; and one threat with a knife against two gay men on public transport. In addition, MANEO reported a further murder, one attempted murder, 36 robberies, ten burglaries, 48 assaults, 49 sexual assaults involving threats, one rape and two cases of damage to property.