Knife Crime In Germany Surges, With Foreigners Heavily Over-Represented In Latest Figures
In the first half of 2025, 730 cases were recorded under Federal Police jurisdiction, a 17 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
The data, provided by the German government in response to a parliamentary query from Alternative for Germany (AfD) domestic affairs spokesman Martin Hess and obtained by Junge Freiheit, show a marked overrepresentation of foreign suspects.
Out of the recorded offenses, 278 involved German suspects and 270 involved non-Germans. While foreigners make up just under 15 percent of Germany's population, they accounted for over 36 percent of knife crime suspects. Among them, Syrians formed the largest group with 29 cases, followed by Afghans with 23 and Poles with 20. Algerian and Afghan suspects were among the most likely to use a knife rather than merely carry one, with 83 percent of cases involving actual use.
The Federal Police recorded the majority of incidents at train stations, with 409 cases.
Hess said the figures were 'largely a direct consequence of mass migration,' accusing left-wing parties of 'denial of reality' and warning that public spaces must not become 'places of fear.'
He criticized symbolic measures such as weapon-free zones and said that effective border controls and large-scale deportations had yet to be implemented.
Knife violence is not confined to Berlin, though the capital's police force drew ridicule last year for website advice suggesting that victims sing loudly to deter attackers — a tip later removed after public backlash. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, knife crime rose 20.7 percent in 2024, following a 44 percent jump the previous year. There, foreigners make up just 16.1 percent of the population but 47.6 percent of knife crime suspects.
In May, German criminal lawyer Udo Vetter warned that the country has 'imported knife violence' following several high-profile incidents, including a Kosovar man injuring a 12-year-old girl and two others, a Syrian asylum seeker stabbing five people outside a student bar, and a rioter wounding a police officer. He pointed to cultural norms where knives are carried as status symbols.
Manuel Ostermann of the Federal Police Union also called for urgent action, warning that the knife 'always immediately poses a concrete threat to life and limb' and that politicians must use all available measures to curb the trend.
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Knife Crime In Germany Surges, With Foreigners Heavily Over-Represented In Latest Figures
The number of violent knife crimes in Germany has risen sharply once again, with newly released Federal Police figures confirming a worsening trend. In the first half of 2025, 730 cases were recorded under Federal Police jurisdiction, a 17 percent increase compared to the same period last year. The data, provided by the German government in response to a parliamentary query from Alternative for Germany (AfD) domestic affairs spokesman Martin Hess and obtained by Junge Freiheit, show a marked overrepresentation of foreign suspects. Out of the recorded offenses, 278 involved German suspects and 270 involved non-Germans. While foreigners make up just under 15 percent of Germany's population, they accounted for over 36 percent of knife crime suspects. Among them, Syrians formed the largest group with 29 cases, followed by Afghans with 23 and Poles with 20. Algerian and Afghan suspects were among the most likely to use a knife rather than merely carry one, with 83 percent of cases involving actual use. The Federal Police recorded the majority of incidents at train stations, with 409 cases. Hess said the figures were 'largely a direct consequence of mass migration,' accusing left-wing parties of 'denial of reality' and warning that public spaces must not become 'places of fear.' He criticized symbolic measures such as weapon-free zones and said that effective border controls and large-scale deportations had yet to be implemented. Knife violence is not confined to Berlin, though the capital's police force drew ridicule last year for website advice suggesting that victims sing loudly to deter attackers — a tip later removed after public backlash. In North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, knife crime rose 20.7 percent in 2024, following a 44 percent jump the previous year. There, foreigners make up just 16.1 percent of the population but 47.6 percent of knife crime suspects. In May, German criminal lawyer Udo Vetter warned that the country has 'imported knife violence' following several high-profile incidents, including a Kosovar man injuring a 12-year-old girl and two others, a Syrian asylum seeker stabbing five people outside a student bar, and a rioter wounding a police officer. He pointed to cultural norms where knives are carried as status symbols. Manuel Ostermann of the Federal Police Union also called for urgent action, warning that the knife 'always immediately poses a concrete threat to life and limb' and that politicians must use all available measures to curb the trend.
