São.pdf

Racist and other hate violence is a problem in Germany, with hundreds of violent attacks recorded each year. Germany has made progress in improving its institutional response to hate crimes, but challenges remain. The country has no separate category of offenses for hate crimes involving violence and does not explicitly provide for higher sentences for them. Police can record crimes as politically motivated, but in practice, hate crimes may not be recorded or investigated as such. Victims and victim support groups have concerns about the police response, and there are issues with cooperation between police and victim support organizations. Prosecutors and judges have improved in handling hate crimes, but there are still problems with pursuing evidence of hate motivation and taking it into account during sentencing. Simple steps, such as strengthening ties with victim support groups and ensuring prosecutors consistently call for hate motivation to be taken into account, could improve Germany's approach to hate crimes.