Overview

• Since 2020, over 571 disciplinary or criminal proceedings have been initiated against German police officers for suspected right-wing extremism or conspiracy ideologies.
• A recent inquiry by Stern and RTL confirms 193 ongoing investigations, though the true number may be higher due to incomplete reporting from several Länder, including North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin.
• Four states, including Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Thuringia, lack usable statistics to categorize cases by political orientation, complicating transparency efforts.
• Interior ministers, including Joachim Herrmann and Herbert Reul, have reiterated a zero-tolerance stance, emphasizing the need for police officers to uphold democratic principles.
• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has announced plans to update its figures on extremist cases only in the fourth quarter of 2025, further delaying comprehensive accountability.