Across Germany, there have been at least 190 incidents connected with vaccinations against Covid-19 that were relevant to the police, according to a survey of Germany’s ministries, state criminal police offices and an association of statutory health insurance physicians carried out by the Evangelical Press Service (epd).
The northern state of Hamburg, however, reported that nothing “serious” was known in connection to offences against vaccination centres or campaigns.
In Schleswig-Holstein, meanwhile, the state prosector was currently investigating two threats made to school staff in connection with vaccination campaigns: a threat of violence to a school teacher in one school and an incitement to murder against the school management and teaching staff of another in a Telegram app chat group.
Several states, including Bavaria and Hessen, also saw disruption to their vaccination campaigns during the Germany-wide vaccination campaign week from September 13th to 19th.
But Bavaria and Saxony saw the largest number of cases. According to its interior ministry, Bavaria has seen 56 vaccination centre-related criminal acts since December 2020 while Saxony has had 54 this year alone.
Germany-wide, the offences involved threats, insults, physical attacks and even an arson attack at a centre in Saxony, although they mostly consisted of damage to property, especially graffiti.
In Saarland, for example, the lettering of the word “Impfzentrum” (vaccination centre) was turned into “Giftzentrum” (poison centre), although this was the state’s only case. Bremen also only had one case.
This is perhaps not surprising as Bremen and Saarland top Germany’s states in terms of the number of vaccinations administered.
Graffiti reading “Giftspritze” (lethal injection) near a vaccination centre in Treptow, Berlin. picture alliance/dpa | Christophe Gateau
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