Anti-coronavirus offences push political crime to record in Germany

Demonstrators take part in a protest against government measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nuremberg, Germany, January 30, 2022. REUTERS/Lukas Barth

BERLIN (Reuters) - Offences by those opposed to COVID-19 restrictions drove politically motivated crimes in Germany to a record high last year, an Interior Ministry report showed on Tuesday.

The number of politically motivated crimes jumped by more than 23% from the previous year to 55,048, the highest level since police started collecting the data in 2001.