Over the last years, German media and politicians have increasingly advanced narratives connecting migrants and rising violent crime. One narrative in particular, that of migrants being responsible for a wave of knife crime, has recently gained traction, partly in response to the tragic events in Solingen (2024) and Aschaffenburg (2025). These individual acts of violence have fueled a moral panic around knife crime, weaponized to justify increasingly stricter migration policy for immigrants at-large. But “knife crime” is not a well-defined category, and contrary to what reporting on such cases suggests, violent crime in Germany remains low. Indeed, a closer look at criminal court cases involving knives reveals cases far away from the media image of violent attackers.

In court, the reality of criminal cases involving knives provides a sharp contrast to media portrayals, which often exaggerate their severity to fit racist narratives. Based on our court observations, we have added new case reports to our case archive that document the phenomenon of what we describe as the knife panic. Read our full analysis of the phenomenon here, in the most recent addition to our findings.

To further discuss our reports and findings and connect them to on-the-ground concerns of impacted communities and activists, we are also organizing an event together with Ihr seid keine Sicherheit (ISKS) on May 21 at Café Cralle in Berlin. Find the full details below.

What is “Knife Crime”? – Discussion on the Weapon Prohibition Zone at Leopoldplatz

When? Wednesday, May 21, 19:30

Where? Café Cralle, Hochstädter Str. 10a

What? Info event and discussion

Right-wing and conservative actors deliberately use the term “knife crime” to criminalize racialized communities and justify extensive police measures and harsh penalties. One of the latest measures introduced amidst the populist panic about “knife crime” is the establishment of weapon prohibition zones.

While the police claim that increased checks for knives in these zones will ensure safety for all, the new rules primarily create one thing: a pretext for using “suspicion-independent checks” in a racially discriminatory way.

What does “knife crime” really mean? Who is being protected, who is affected – and who becomes a target for the police?

Together with Ihr seid keine Sicherheit, we invite you to a critical discussion about the newly established weapon prohibition zone at Leopoldplatz.

We want to talk with people from the neighborhood about what safety at Leo means to us – and why the new knife bans might cause more harm than good.

The event will be in German. Write us a message on Instagram if you would need a whisper translation.

Join us – bring your experiences, perspectives, and questions!