Significant increase: Crimes by right-wing extremists hit record numbers
Crimes committed by right-wing extremists in Austria saw a significant increase in 2025, according to Interior Minister Gerhard Karner's (ÖVP) response to an inquiry from the SPÖ party. In the first half of the year, 787 crimes were recorded, representing a 41.5% increase compared to 556 crimes in the same period of 2024, which had already recorded record numbers. The majority of the perpetrators, at 91%, were men.
The report indicated that 21 of these crimes were classified as anti-Semitic and 11 as anti-Islamic, noting that the number of anti-Islamic crimes saw a significant increase compared to only three incidents in the previous year. Reports under the prohibition law rose from 577 to 785. Vienna recorded the highest number of cases at 236, followed by Upper Austria with 171 and Lower Austria with 103. About 27% of these crimes occurred online, reflecting the increasing extremist activity on digital platforms.
Sabine Schatz, the spokesperson for SPÖ on remembrance culture, expressed her concern about this trend, noting that young people are increasingly becoming targets for right-wing extremists' incitement. She emphasized that the rise of extremism, whether online or in public spaces, represents a serious societal problem that requires urgent intervention.
To address this increase, the authorities are preparing a comprehensive package of measures, including prevention programs in schools and youth centers, increased support for victims, strategies to combat online hate, and exit programs for extremists. A National Action Plan (NAP) against right-wing extremism is currently being prepared, which the federal government has committed to in its program, and it is expected to be presented this fall.
Experts, including Andreas Kranebitter from the Austrian Resistance Documentation Archive (DÖW), called for the swift implementation of the national action plan. He emphasized that every act of right-wing extremism causes harm, and society should not get used to the rise of these crimes. Interior Minister Karner attributed the current statistics to ongoing police enforcement, referring to recent operations, including the search of the home of neo-Nazi Gottfried Küssel in the Leopoldstadt district of Vienna. The presumption of innocence remains for all suspects.