Extremism has changed and become more modern. Young people are increasingly becoming the focus of extremists. Radicalization is increasingly taking place online. The threat of espionage and cyber attacks by foreign actors has increased. The threat of Islamist-motivated attacks also remains high in abstract terms. These are the findings of the 2024 report on the protection of the constitution, which Interior Minister Herbert Reul presented on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. On more than 350 pages, the North Rhine-Westphalian Office for the Protection of the Constitution has comprehensively described threats to the free democratic basic order.
Interior Minister Herbert Reul: "Islamism showed its ugliest face in Solingen. There we saw how quickly an abstract high terror threat can quickly turn into a concrete act. Right-wing extremists are also targeting our democracy. Extremists mobilize young people and achieve enormous reach online. The world's conflicts are not only taking place on other continents, but are also always taking place in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Internet paves the way for them. We cannot take for granted that we live in freedom and peace, democratically and under the rule of law. In 2024, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution continued to fight extremism and terrorism around the clock and stood up for our democracy. More than ever, we are called upon to stand up for our democracy."
Crimes in the area of politically motivated crime rose again last year. Around 11,000 crimes were registered [10,772] in which the motivation for the crime was political. This was an increase of 42% compared to the previous year [2023: 7,596]. Around 23% [2,450] of the crimes were committed using the Internet. Around 30 percent more than in the previous year [1,859]. Around 19 percent of all politically motivated crimes were hate crimes.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution notes that right-wing extremism is increasingly targeting young people and young adults. The right-wing extremist scene has become younger and more modern overall. In order to spread its ideology, right-wing extremism relies on the strategy of breaking down boundaries and mobilizes many people, particularly via social media.
Interior Minister Herbert Reul: "Right-wing extremism remains the greatest threat to our democratic coexistence. Right-wing extremists keep themselves alive through hatred and agitation. We can see that it has modernized - nowadays less bald heads and combat boots, more sneakers and active clubs. It's just old ideology in a new guise. But we must not be fooled by this."
In 2024, 5,461 crimes were recorded in the area of right-wing extremism [2023: 3,549]. In 78% of cases, these were propaganda offenses [3,511] and incitement to hatred [839]. The number of violent crimes committed by right-wing suspects rose by 33% compared to the previous year [2023: 116] to 154 offenses.
The risk of Islamist-motivated attacks remains high in abstract terms. Perpetrators acting alone who radicalize themselves online without social contacts continue to pose a major challenge for the security authorities. The situation in the Middle East can also fuel radicalization processes. In the area of extremist Salafism, the potential number of individuals was around 2,700. Around 600 of these were classified as violence-oriented.
Interior Minister Herbert Reul: "Islamist terrorism remains the greatest threat to life and limb. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is doing everything it can to avert this danger. The internet is increasingly becoming a high-performance engine for radicalization. Hate preachers have perfected online propaganda on TikTok, Instagram and Telegram. As a result, Islamism is still on the rise."
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has identified more attempts at espionage and cyber attacks. Targeted disinformation and illegitimate exertion of influence by foreign actors, particularly in the digital space, also played an increasing role.
Interior Minister Herbert Reul: "Attempts to exert influence from outside have increased as the conflicts in the world have intensified. Russia in particular has changed its intelligence methodology and is taking an increasingly robust approach. The aim is to spy, gather information and destabilize our democracy. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution is doing everything it can to fend off these attacks."
Antisemitism is also still present. The escalation of the Middle East conflict in particular has led to an increase in hatred towards Jews in society in recent years. In 2024, 695 anti-Semitic criminal offenses were recorded [2023: 547]. Many of these were acts of damage to property or incitement to hatred.
Interior Minister Herbert Reul: "Attacks on Jewish people, synagogues and memorials are no longer a rarity. History teaches us to resolutely oppose all forms of anti-Semitism. This is our special obligation."
Around 1,200 criminal offenses were recorded in the area of left-wing extremism [1,187]. Many of these were resistance offenses. Left-wing extremists sometimes carried out violent protests. A total of 86 violent crimes were recorded. The aim of these activities was to radicalize civil-democratic protest by using political hot topics and to spread left-wing extremist ideology into the middle-class spectrum.
In the area of foreign-related extremism, the Office for the Protection of the Constitution also continues to take consistent action against groups that advocate terror and anti-Semitism.
Interior Minister Herbert Reul: "By banning the "Palestine Solidarity Duisburg" association in May 2024, we have used all legal options to show a clear stance against extremism."
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution acts as an early warning system for all areas of extremism. It also supports other authorities as a so-called "cooperating authority", for example through security checks. The Office also advises companies on how they can better protect themselves against cyber attacks. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is also active in the field of economic protection and prevention and consistently focuses its events, lectures and consultations on current challenges with a view to the target groups.
The press release, the handout and the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution report can be found at www.im.nrw.de.