Right-wing extremists increasingly use anti-queer attacks as a mobilization theme, according to the Democracy Center Hessen. In a new monitoring report (PDF) covering February to June 2026, the center, based at the University of Marburg, stated that it documented insults, threats, property damage, and physical assaults against queer people, as well as disruptions at Christopher Street Day events, aimed at “questioning democratic achievements.” The center serves as the coordinating office of the “Hesse Advisory Network — Together for Democracy and Against Right-Wing Extremism.”
The authors pointed to the police crime statistics for the state: “In 2022, 33 anti-queer crimes were registered, but last year it had already risen to 141 — more than a fourfold increase in four years.” A significant dark figure is suspected as well, since many victims did not report incidents out of fear or shame.
Anti-Queer Incidents Have Reached an Alarming Level
Anti-queer incidents form a central focus of the monitoring report, “because their frequency and intensity have reached an alarming scale.” The documented cases range from anti-queer stickers to severe verbal abuse to physically brutal attacks.
“These developments align with nationwide trends and underscore that anti-queer hostility remains a structurally embedded problem. It feeds on antifeminist and anti-gender narratives that play a central role in right-wing extremist ideologies and are increasingly visible in public discourse.”
Desensitization and Radicalization Processes
In its monitoring report, the coordinating office points to signs of growing societal desensitization: “The developments in the reporting period point to desensitization and radicalization processes,” write the authors. “Anti-queer hostility is not a fringe phenomenon. It is structurally visible, socially powerful, and at the same time in many areas still underrepresented because incidents are not reported or are not recognized as anti-queer.”
In the context of Pride Month and the CSD season, right-wing extremist and antifeminist groups and individuals used anti-queer narratives “to challenge democratic achievements and delegitimize societal diversity,” the report continues.
Voices from queer initiatives and counseling centers also clarified how strongly the current trend affects the sense of safety for many queer people: “There are reports, among other things, of increasing caution in daily life, fear of hostility, and a heavy burden from digital harassment.” (mize)
