By Benedikt Büchsenschütz (Violence Prevention Network)

The latest nationwide statistics published in May 2025 reveal a worrying trend: politically motivated crime in Germany rose by 40.2 percent in 2024 according to the Bundeskriminalamt [Federal Criminal Police Office] (Bundeskriminalamt 2025). This constitutes the sharpest increase since the introduction of systematic reporting in 2001. Over the past ten years, the number of such offences has more than doubled, with violent attacks reaching their highest level since 2016. While reporting sensitivity and increased awareness may contribute to this effect, the rise remains notable and alarming. Right-wing motivated crimes account for more than half of all registered cases, with a particularly steep rise in propaganda offences and a notable increase in violent incidents. Antisemitic crimes rose by over 20 percent, and the effects of the Middle East conflict were reflected in an additional 7,328 reported incidents. The 2024 „super election year“ also left a visible mark, with nearly 12,000 offences linked to electoral events.

These figures point not only to a growing security challenge but also to deeper social tensions. Many of these developments are rooted in polarisation, disillusionment, and identity-based grievances that particularly affect young people. In an environment marked by social fragmentation and global instability, radical ideologies offer seemingly simple answers and a sense of belonging.

To address these underlying dynamics, it is crucial for the state to further expand the focus of security strategies. Intelligence and law enforcement agencies play an essential role in identifying threats, enforcing the law, and protecting the public. Their tools and expertise are indispensable, especially in acute and high-risk scenarios. However, these instruments alone are not designed to engage with the complex personal, psychological, and social factors that drive individuals toward extremist worldviews and violent action.

This is where tertiary prevention and disengagement work must be recognised as integral components of a comprehensive and forward-looking security architecture. Social work-based approaches, such as structured casework, long-term relationship-building, and context-sensitive social diagnostics, provide access to individuals and environments that are often beyond the reach of state authorities. Civil society actors can intervene where law enforcement reaches its limits, not by replacing risk-assessment-based approaches, but by complementing and extending its scope by focusing on building individuals’ resilience and resistance against violence-enhancing rhetoric.

Over the past two decades, Violence Prevention Network has supported thousands of individuals across ideological backgrounds. In extreme cases this has meant dissuading people from traveling to jihadist conflict zones and enabling exits from violent neo-Nazi groups. We work with people of all ages, with a particular focus on youth. Our interventions extend into prisons, where we support inmates in distancing from extremist ideologies and prepare them for reintegration. At the same time, we train so-called multipliers engaged in youth work, education, and/or the prison and law enforcement system to strengthen democratic resilience and expand the reach of prevention efforts. This dual approach based on direct intervention on the one hand and systemic capacity-building on the other hand, makes Violence Prevention Network a key partner in tackling radicalisation where it takes root.

What sets Violence Prevention Network apart is its position as a civil society organisation with offices based throughout Germany. Clients perceive such a structure as neutral and trustworthy. They often encounter counsellors with initial scepticism but rarely view them as a threat. This perceived independence enables a working relationship that is often not possible for state security agencies. Due to their executive authority and clients’ prior experiences with law enforcement, state actors can be frequently met with resistance or distrust. Many individuals potentially view them not as helpers but as instruments of state control, which can limit the depth and honesty of engagement.

In contrast, NGOs like Violence Prevention Network can offer a relational space that balances professionalism with approachability. We build trust over time, address individual needs and motivations, and create tailored interventions that meet people where they are without triggering defensive reactions or fear of repression. This unique access is not only a strength of civil society, but a necessary complement to state-led prevention and security efforts. Over the years, cooperation between civil society actors like Violence Prevention Network and state institutions in Germany has proven both constructive and reliable. This partnership has shown that sustainable prevention of extremism and political violence is most effective when competencies are shared and coordinated across institutional boundaries. Going forward, it is essential that this cooperation not only continues but is meaningfully strengthened.

Disengagement programmes and tertiary prevention must remain integral components of national and regional security strategies. Their long-term impact and field-based insights make them an indispensable part of a comprehensive approach to security. Civil society organisations contribute a unique perspective by working directly with individuals who are already part of extremist environments or at risk of reoffending. These people cannot be “forgotten” and declared “forlorn” in a democratic society that aims to include and enable its citizens to contribute to society. Civil society makes targeted, person-centred interventions possible that go beyond ideological confrontation and engage with the lived realities of clients. This approach is crucial for initiating change and preventing future acts of violence.

In light of current developments, the upcoming funding programmes must continue to support these approaches. Sustainable impact in this field requires continuity, trust-based relationships, and long-term engagement. Speaking directly with extremists, understanding their backgrounds and motivations, and influencing their social contexts is not a peripheral task. It is a core element of effective violence prevention. Over the past two decades, Violence Prevention Network has shown that this approach works and not only in isolated cases, but as a scalable, structured and impact-driven model. The experience built in Germany is increasingly recognised beyond its borders. With our needs-based assessment approach based on Social Diagnostics being piloted in the United States, New Zealand and Australia and our learning-oriented organisational structure presented widely, e.g. in the United Kingdom and Canada, our methodology has started to gain traction internationally. In international contexts too, stakeholders have responded positively to the combination of practical casework expertise, deep contextual knowledge, and a human-centred ethos.

What makes this model transferable is its core principle: we talk to extremists – not about them. That perspective shift, engaging with people, rather than managing them, is key to unlocking meaningful change. If governments are serious about tackling radicalisation and political violence in the long term, they must invest in strategies that go beyond control and surveillance. Violence Prevention Network’s work shows that civil society-led prevention is not just complementary but remains essential.

Benedikt Büchsenschütz is a Research Fellow at Violence Prevention Network, with a focus on gender in extremism, (online) radicalisation, and hybrid ideologies. He holds a Master’s degree in Crisis and Security Management: Governance of Radicalism, Extremism and Terrorism (MSc) from Leiden University.