"In 2015, authorities recorded 1,031 politically motivated crimes against asylum shelters, five times as many as in 2014 (199 crimes) and sixteen times as many as in 2013 (63 crimes). In the first trimester of 2016, authorities reported 347 politically motivated crimes against asylum shelters," Amnesty International said in a report titled "Living in insecurity: How Germany is failing victims of racist violence."
The report also cites the Amadeu Antonio Foundation, according to which there were 1,082 violent attacks against migrants and refugees in 2015 – four times more than in 2014.
Amnesty International said Germany should take a number of specific measures to tackle the issue.
"German federal and state authorities need to put in place comprehensive risk assessment strategies to prevent attacks against asylum shelters. Further police protection is urgently needed for shelters identified at highest risk of attack," Marco Perolini, Amnesty International’s EU Researcher, said.
Last month, the German Federal Criminal Police Office said there had been more than 40 arson cases at refugee centers this year.
Germany is a key EU recipient of asylum seekers, with about 1.8 million refugees and migrants arriving in the country last year, according to the EU border agency Frontex.
