In the past year, attacks on journalists and media professionals in Germany have more than doubled, and the Press Freedom Organization Analyses of Journalists Without Boundaries (RSF) showed on Tuesday.
The group recorded 89 physical attacks on journalists and news-related buildings in its annual report in 2024, most of which occurred at rallies, related to conflicts in the Middle East, the far right, or anti-abortion campaigns.
The figure is much higher than the 41 incidents reported by RSF in 2023, although it is still below the 103 attacks recorded in 2022.
Physical attacks against journalists constituted 75 incidents, while 14 aggressions opposed editorial headquarters or residential buildings.
The group said, “38 cases of physical violence occurred in the Middle East demonstrations in Berlin alone, and “21 other attacks came from far-right circles and conspiracy theorists.”
The RSF also warned German far-right groups of unreported violence against local journalists who did not always promote the incident.
Media professionals were beaten, hit by a flagpole, pushed to the ground, kicked to the genital area, injured with coffee cups and raw egg stings, and attacked with pepper spray, the report said.
RSF believes that journalists working in Germany are facing “hostility to the press and narrower understanding of press freedom.”
The report highlights that many people increasingly see media professionals with different political views as enemies.
The group further stated that the war in Gaza has led to an increasingly narrow window of discourse in reporting on Israel and Palestine.
