Hate crime against LGBTIQ* people
Targeted attacks on people because they are queer. Here you can find out what hate crime is, what it looks like and what you can do.
What it is
Crimes in which people are attacked because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
What often stays invisible
Many of these crimes are never reported and so do not appear in any statistics.
What you can do
Secure evidence, find counselling, report it to the police. You decide which steps to take.
What is hate crime?
Hate crime covers crimes against people or property because a certain characteristic is attributed to them. STOP the HATE focuses on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Perpetrators do not choose their victims at random. This affects not only the person targeted but unsettles the whole community. Online hate is part of it too.
Other characteristics covered by hate crime
- political views
- nationality
- ethnicity
- skin colour
- religion
- belief
- origin
- disability
- social status
- outward appearance
What it can look like
Insults and threats
Verbal abuse and threats in everyday life.
Criminal damage (Sachbeschädigung, Section 303 StGB)
Damaged flags, graffiti, destroyed property.
Physical violence
Assaults, punches, kicks.
How many crimes stay invisible?
Imagine 100 queer people who have experienced violence or hate. Choose what it’s about.
Source: EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) survey of LGBTI people, 2020, cited in the Federal Criminal Police Office’s Lagebericht zur Sicherheit von LSBTIQ* (situation report on the safety of LGBTIQ* people, 2024). Shown is the share of respondents who did not report the incident. The survey dates from 2020.
What you can do
Secure evidence
How to document what happened.
Report it to the police
How you can report a case yourself and what you can report.
Find counselling
Contact points and support services in Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony and nationwide.
Report online content
Report illegal content and have it removed.
Figures and reports
These reports come out every year. We deliberately show no individual figures here so the page does not go out of date. You can find current figures from the bodies that collect them.
Verfassungsschutzbericht (report on the protection of the constitution)
Annual state report with a chapter on politically motivated crime.
To the report HamburgVerfassungsschutzbericht (report on the protection of the constitution)
Annual report of the Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
To the report BremenVerfassungsschutzbericht (report on the protection of the constitution)
Annual report of the Bremen State Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
To the report Lower SaxonyVerfassungsschutzbericht (report on the protection of the constitution)
Annual report of the Lower Saxony Office for the Protection of the Constitution, most recently for 2025.
To the report FederalLagebericht zur Sicherheit von LSBTIQ* (situation report on the safety of LGBTIQ* people)
Report by the Federal Criminal Police Office on the crime-related safety of LGBTIQ* people.
To the reportAnti-queer hostility affects us all.
Every report helps to shed light on unreported crime.
Affected or witnessed something?
The Help Finder shows you the next step.