Police Warn of Rising Right-Wing Radicalization Among Youth in Brandenburg

Security authorities in Brandenburg, Germany, have issued a warning regarding the rapid spread of right-wing hatred and radicalization on the internet, particularly among young people. Police Chief Oliver Stepien noted that politically motivated crime is evolving, with offenders becoming younger, more digital, and increasingly prone to violence. Although the total number of politically motivated crimes in Brandenburg decreased by twenty percent to 5,443 cases in 2025, largely due to a drop in election-related property damage compared to 2024, right-wing violent incidents surged by 28.3 percent to 145 cases. Two-thirds of all politically motivated crimes were attributed to right-wing extremism, primarily involving propaganda and forbidden symbols. In response to these trends and concerns over the brutalization of youth, Interior Minister Jan Redmann of the CDU party is advocating for expanded police investigative powers, including the use of artificial intelligence. Furthermore, Redmann supports banning social media access for children and adolescents up to the age of fourteen to mitigate online radicalization and protect vulnerable demographics from harmful digital content.