German LGBTQ+ group accuses state of failing to curb hate crime

Germany is failing to adequately protect queer people from rising hate crime, LGBTQ+ advocacy group LSVD+ said ahead of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.

"Within just a few years, the number of anti-queer hate crimes has increased nearly tenfold. Every single case is shameful for a free society," LSVD+ board member Andre Lehmann told dpa.

Lehmann accused German authorities of a "failure of the state in security policy" and said the government was not doing enough to ensure the safety of queer people.

The group is calling for an amendment to Article 3 of Germany's constitution, which protects against discrimination, to explicitly include queer people. Lehmann said queer people remained the only group persecuted under National Socialism not specifically named in the constitution.

Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office said in May 2025 that crimes linked to sexual orientation and gender diversity had nearly increased tenfold since 2010. Offences included insults, violent attacks, incitement and threats.

Lehmann warned that "the sense of safety and freedom of millions of people in this country is at risk."

Berlin-based counselling centre Maneo said this week it had recorded 723 cases and reports of hostility against queer people in the German capital last year. Incidents occurred online, on the street, at home, at work, in schools and within families.

The organization estimated that 80% to 90% of cases go unreported.