Far-Right, Left Attacks and Islamic Militancy Up in Germany

Germany has seen a rise in anti-foreigner attacks and political violence as well as Islamic militancy, the government said in an annual report Wednesday.

Anti-foreigner attacks by the far right rose 20.4 percent to 473 reported incidents last year, said the domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution.

"It worries me greatly that the right-wing scene constantly tries to poison the atmosphere towards foreigners, by stoking fears and prejudices against asylum seekers," said Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere.

Acts of violence by extreme left-wing groups were up over 26 percent to 1,110, said the report for 2013.

Left-wing attacks against police were up 34 percent, and leftist groups' acts of violence against far-right groups had risen almost 40 percent.

"We cannot accept the increase in acts of violence," the minister said.

"We will employ all means of the constitutional state against perpetrators of violence," he added.

The number of known right-wing extremists considered ready to use violence stayed constant at around 9,600, while the number of radicalized left-wing activists fell slightly to 27,700.

Islamic extremist groups meanwhile grew in membership, fueled by the conflict in Syria.

The report said that "until early 2014, more than 270 German Islamists or Islamists from Germany traveled to Syria to take part in combat or support one way or another the resistance to the regime of (President Bashar) Assad, a trend that is not about to end".