Germany's Antisemitism Commissioner Felix Klein admits unfinished fight against hate

Federal Antisemitism Commissioner Felix Klein said shortly before leaving office that the root causes of antisemitic hatred in Germany remain insufficiently addressed. He noted that antisemitic incidents surged after the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, with roughly half of all reported crimes that year occurring after that date. In 2025 more than 6,500 antisemitic offences were recorded.

Klein highlighted improvements during his tenure: antisemitism officers have been appointed in all federal states, as well as in the General Prosecutor's Offices and police units, and police now treat attacks on Jewish establishments as hate crimes rather than ordinary property damage. Nevertheless, 46 % of the offences are still committed by right‑wing perpetrators, and an increasing share are classified as motivated by foreign‑origin ideologies.

He warned against dismantling the political “firewall” to the far‑right AfD, citing recent comments by Saxony’s Minister‑President Michael Kretschmer. Klein stressed that while not all AfD voters are extremist, dialogue with the party should not be treated as ordinary political discourse, especially given proposals such as abolishing compulsory schooling in some AfD platforms.