The Berlin Constitutional Court has ruled that the Senate must disclose the most common first names of suspects in knife attacks, siding with the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) in a politically charged dispute over crime data transparency.
The ruling, announced on Monday, forces the Berlin Senate to provide the AfD parliamentary group in the House of Representatives with a list of the 20 most common first names among German citizens suspected of knife-related crimes. This comes after the Senate had previously refused to comply with a request made by AfD lawmaker Marc Vallendar in May 2024, citing concerns over personal data protection.
According to the court, while naming suspects involves an intrusion into personal data, there is no convincing evidence that it poses a real identification risk to specific individuals. “The assumption of a relevant identification risk for specific individuals is not plausible,” a court spokesperson said.
Vallendar justified his request by pointing to what he called a lack of transparency in crime data, particularly since the German government stopped separately recording suspects’ migration backgrounds in 2022. In his view, the only remaining statistical clue to the origins of suspects lies in their first names
New data shows that foreigners are responsible for 43.9% of all crimes in Berlin in 2024.
Murders and manslaughter also jumped over 50% compared to 2023!
“What should not be ignored is that 30% of foreign suspects are not registered in Berlin,” said a police union rep. pic.twitter.com/5r3nwUEzMz
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) March 20, 2025
The Senate had previously argued that releasing such data could result in “social stigmatization” and misinterpretation. It cited the risk of names being used to construct social hierarchies or fuel biased narratives, particularly given the current public focus on knife-related violence.
BREAKING: ‼️
Germany’s worst-kept secret is out — straight from the horse’s mouth.
“This year, we have to talk about non-German suspects,” says Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, who admits that foreigners are significantly disproportionately represented in the country’s crime… pic.twitter.com/KLZpwz6vH5
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) April 2, 2025
Berlin’s interior administration maintained that the release of first names would contribute little to an informed debate and could instead lead to misleading assumptions. Still, the court found that the public interest in transparency outweighed the Senate’s concerns.
The ruling is seen as a significant victory for the AfD, which has long criticized what it calls political censorship and a lack of openness in crime statistics.
Many Middle Eastern and North African-born migrants, now with German citizenship, are classed as Germans in the country’s federal crime stats, thus diluting the devastating impact mass immigration has had on soaring crime. Berlin, as one of the more multicultural areas of the country, has been significantly affected.
🔺55% believe the police have lost control of public spaces
🔺38% fear falling victim to crime in public spaces versus 28% in 2018
🔺Only 39% believe the police… pic.twitter.com/4sW5uiCPJA— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) April 8, 2025
In 2024, violent crime across the country hit a record high, leaving many Germans fearful of leaving their homes and having less confidence in the authorities to keep them safe.
Germany: 13-year-old Arab stabs his classmate in Berlin, hours later an 11-year-old Iraqi stabs his classmate in NRW.https://t.co/5j2aNABjD7 pic.twitter.com/ifIU0Eiskn
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) May 23, 2025
Overall, non-Germans accounted for 39 percent of all crimes last year, but foreign-born naturalized citizens are not included in this percentage — a discrepancy the AfD believes hides the true cost of mass immigration.
The AfD’s state parliamentary spokesperson in Berlin, Dr. Kristin Brinker, took to X to comment on the ruling. “The fact that Marc Vallendar had to sue before the Constitutional Court gives a deep insight. Hopefully, the Senate of Berlin will come to its senses and finally provide the requested information on the first names of knife perpetrators.
“The fact that the Senate, led by Kai Wegner, of all people, does not want to give the first names is particularly remarkable. After all, it was Wegner himself who was able to win the 2023 election campaign by asking the first names of the New Year’s Eve riot perpetrators.
“Wegner didn’t get an answer at the time either and left the whole thing at that after his election,” she added.
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