Germany news: Politically-motivated crimes double in decade

Cases of intimidation, hatred and violence reached an alltime high in 2025, a German newspaper reported. Meanwhile, Germany is to work with Mexico to tackle drug gangs and organized crime. DW has the latest.

https://p.dw.com/p/5EwWO

A handcuffered person stands in front of a police van in Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany, on October 29, 2025
Politically-motivated crimes reached a new high in 2025, according to a newspaper report [FILE: October 2025]Image: K. Schmitt/Fotostand/picture alliance

Skip next section What you need to know

What you need to know

  • Politically-motivated crimes reached a new high last year, Welt am Sonntag reported
  • Wadephul says Germany to work with Mexico to crack down on drug cartels
  • Germany’s 18-year-old midfield star Lennart Karl is ruled out of the World Cup
  • Germany qualifies for the 2027 Women’s World Cup
  • Bundeswehr Day expected to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors

Read below for a roundup of news from Germany on June 6, 2026.

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Skip next section Teenage sensation Karl to miss World Cup after injury06/06/2026June 6, 2026

Teenage sensation Karl to miss World Cup after injury

Lennart Karl celebrates after scoring Bayern Munich's third goal against Freiburg in the Bundesliga, in Freiburg, Germany, on April 4, 2026
Lennart Karl is widely regarded as one of Germany’s brightest young talentsImage: Marco Steinbrenner/DeFodi Images/picture alliance

​Germany’s teenage attacking midfielder Lennart Karl will miss the World Cup after sustaining an injury in training, coach Julian Nagelsmann said.

The 18-year-old suffered a muscle bundle tear in ‌his left ⁠thigh on Friday in Chicago and was taken to the hospital.

Karl, who was due to make his senior World Cup debut, will be replaced by Assan Ouedraogo.

“It is a ‌huge shock for him and for all of us ‌that ​he will miss the World Cup. It is only a small consolation that he is young and still has many tournaments ahead of him,” ​Nagelsmann said.

Karl ​enjoyed a ‌meteoric rise this season, helping Bayern Munich clinch the domestic double and reach the Champions League semi-finals.

In Group E, the Germans play their first match against Curacao on June 14 before facing the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.

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https://p.dw.com/p/5EwgSSkip next section Wadephul: Germany, Mexico to step up efforts to stop drugs from reaching Europe06/06/2026June 6, 2026

Wadephul: Germany, Mexico to step up efforts to stop drugs from reaching Europe

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul is accompanied by Mexican officials at an event in Mexico City, Mexico, on June 4, 2026
Wadephul is in Mexico to boost business ties and crack down on drug cartelsImage: Michael Kappeler/picture alliance/dpa

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Germany planned to work more closely with Mexico to tackle organized crime, including drug cartels, to cut the spread of narcotics to Europe.

“The significant rise in drug use in Germany and across Europe is a cause of great concern to us. That is why we must work together very closely on this,” Wadephul, who is on a two-day visit to Mexico, told journalists.

“We are seeing Europe being virtually inundated by a wave of drugs originating from this region, not only from Mexico, but also from other Central and South American countries,” Wadephul said.

“That is why it must be in our interest to strengthen security cooperation here,” he added.

Wadephul had said the fight against organized crime was at the top of the agenda for cooperation.

According to DW correspondent Benjamin Alvarez, Wadephul also announced bids for non-permanent UN Security Council seats in 2035-36 and 2043-44 in Mexico City.

This announcement comes just days after Berlin’s defeat in the current race, when it received only 104 votes, falling short against Austria and Portugal.

https://p.dw.com/p/5EwftSkip next section Report: Politically motivated crime hits new high in Germany06/06/2026June 6, 2026

Report: Politically motivated crime hits new high in Germany

A smashed window at a Bajszel café in Neukölln, Berlin, Germany, in 2025
Around 85,000 politically-motivated offenses were recorded in 2025Image: Soeren Stache/dpa/picture alliance

Politically motivated crime in Germany reached a new high in 2025, according to a newspaper report.

Welt am Sonntag reported that German states recorded at least 85,000 such crimes last year, up from 84,174 in 2024.

Over the past 10 years, the number of these crimes has more than doubled, the newspaper reported, citing its own research.

The data covered 15 of Germany’s federal states, with only the figures from Rhineland-Palatinate, in the southwest, missing.

WAS reported that the violent crimes labeled politically motivated were also on the rise, with more than 4,100 offenses recorded last year, including assault, arson and explosives offenses, as well as breach of the peace.

The newspaper said that police had attributed the rise over the past year to the polarized German elections last year, alongside the conflicts in the Middle East.

While more than half of all offenses were classified as right-wing extremism, there was a 35% rise in left-wing extremist crimes, which reached more than 13,000 cases.

https://p.dw.com/p/5EwbuSkip next section Welcome to our coverage06/06/2026June 6, 2026

Welcome to our coverage

Nik Martin | Dmytro Hubenko Editor

Guten Morgen from DW in Bonn, on the banks of the Rhine River.

Here in Germany, there has been a doubling in the number of politically motivated crimes over the past decade. While right-wing extremism is responsible for half of those offences, crimes by ultra-left-wing activists have risen sharply.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has promised to work more closely with Mexico to combat organized crime, including drug cartels, responsible for the significant rise in drug use in Europe.

As the countdown to the World Cup continues, Germany’s teenage starlet Lennart Karl has been ruled out of the competition after sustaining an injury in training.

Join us for the latest news from across Germany this weekend.

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