Anti-LGBTQ attacks in Berlin are on the rise, according to new crime statistics. Police worry the nation's political environment contributes to the spike in violence.
Berlin police report that in the first nine months of 2019, 261 incidents have been reported of violence targeting, gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals, according to DW Akademie. By comparison, only 184 such attacks occurred in Berlin in all of 2018.
Police Chief Barbara Slowik presented the numbers at an event organized by the Alliance Against Homophobia, and said "an increasing polarization of society" contributed to the rise in hate crimes.
She said attacks appear concentrated in nightclub districts where LGBTQ folks are highly visible, DW reports.
The trend follows increases in attacks on LGBTQ people in Germany in recent years. In 2017, such assaults jumped nationwide by a third, DW reported at the time.
As far as policy, Germany has seen strides in LGBTQ rights. The nation right now is considering a ban on the practice of conversion therapy. In 2017, the nation recognized a third gender.
The nation this year also recognized gay victims of the Holocaust targeted for their sexuality. But a monument honoring victims was vandalized earlier this year as well.
Alt-right Germans last year protested at Berlin Pride after being refused a booth at the event.
And the nation's far-right Alternative Fuer Deutschland party, which ironically is led by lesbian Alice Weidel, has seen an increase in political victories in the nation as well.
