In brief
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution says right-wing extremists hit 58,700 last year, up a thousand more since 2025. The surge is linked to the rising membership of the Alternative for Germany party and attacks on police. Left-wing extremism also climbed, while the threat of foreign intelligence from Russia, China and Iran remains high. The BfV reports extremist groups continue to target children and use music events for recruitment.
German Intelligence Agency Reports Surge in Extremists
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) released its annual report yesterday, stating that right-wing extremists rose to 58,700 last year – an increase of more than 8,000 from the previous year. 5,600 of those extremist members are considered to have a propensity for violence.
The report links the sharp rise largely to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, whose membership surged to 70,000 in 2025. The BfV warns of inevitable clashes ahead of the AfD’s upcoming conference in Erfurt, and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has called on protestors to remain nonviolent to avoid potential violence.
It is not only right-wing extremism that is expanding – the agency notes that left-wing radicalism grew by 4,200 to 42,200, while Islamist- related terrorists climbed to 28,645. The BfV also highlighted a surge in foreign intelligence efforts originating from Russia, China, and Iran, describing German democracy as under “practically permanent attack.”
The BfV’s report points to growing recruitment of youth at far‑right music events, citing a record number of participants last year. In addition to the AfD, the agency identifies around 26,000 members of the so-called Reichsbürger and Selbstverwalter groups, which reject the German constitution and spread anti-Semitic narratives.
The BfV retains its designation of the AfD as a suspected extremist organization, although the party’s ruling in court that suspended the classification remains pending. The agency remains concerned about the rise of “Great Replacement” and “population exchange” conspiracy theories within the AfD’s ranks.
