German authorities: Over 200 anti-Muslim incidents so far this year
A total of 208 anti-Muslim incidents were reported across Germany in the first three months of 2017, according to police and constitutional protection agencies, the NeueOsnabrückerZeitung (NOZ) newspaper reported.
A total of 208 anti-Muslim incidents were reported across Germany in the first three months of 2017, according to police and constitutional protection agencies, the NeueOsnabrückerZeitung (NOZ) newspaper reported.
Right-wing extremists were blamed for most of these incidents, including threatening letters, property damage, attacks on women wearing headscarves and online and verbal abuse. Two of these incidents resulted in injuries – one in Baden-Württemberg and one in Hesse.
“There are examples every day,” NOZ quoted AymanMazyek, the chairman of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany, as saying, adding that his own family has been targeted. “My wife has also been victimized several times.”
But most of these offenses are likely to remain unreported, for example due to fear, mistrust of the authorities or simply not considering the incident serious enough, making it difficult to assess the true level of anti-Muslim hate crimes.
