BERLIN (AP) — The number of crimes committed by far-right extremists rose by more than 40 percent in Germany last year.
An annual report by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency recorded 1,408 violent crimes by far-right extremists in 2015. That compares with 990 such crimes the previous year.
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Tuesday that far-right extremists targeted asylum seekers in particular last year.
Far-right groups have seen a rise in membership and support amid growing anti-foreigner sentiment last year, as Germany saw an unprecedented influx of refugees from the Middle East and Africa.
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The U.K. is a “bellwether”. The continent also has its share of xenophobes and euroskeptics. Sixty-one percent of French voters hold a dim view of the EU and 53% would like to have a Frexit referendum. The Swedes and Danes are not happy either.
This us vs. them scenario is possibly the utter downfall of the EU. On the other hand, the whole of Brexit was a political ploy that nobody expected to pass, kind of akin to a dog catching a car it was chasing. That seems to be about where it stands at the moment.