Dresden left-wing extremism trial

In 2022, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution released a report saying that there had been a significant rise in far-left extremism in Germany, with violence directed "primarily at the police and right-wing extremists" and linking far-left extremism to climate protest groups. The Federal Criminal Police Office's annual report that same year stated there had been a drop in cases attributed to left-wing extremism in 2022, and a 16% increase in cases attributed to far-right extremism. German police attributed 23,493 registered crimes to the far right in 2022, and 6,976 to the far left. ==Attacks==

Lina Engel was a student from Kassel who was studying social work in Leipzig, in eastern Germany, with a focus on preventing far-right radicalization among youth. The violence included two attacks against Leon Ringl, a known far-right extremist. Ringl was attacked first in late 2019 at an Eisenach pub known to be frequented by neo-Nazis. He was beaten with hammers and batons, and was attacked again weeks later near his car. In January 2021, the same pub was attacked again using an explosive device, which resulted in no injuries. The pub's facade was sprayed with graffiti saying, in English, "Fight Nazis every ". Ringl replaced the graffiti with another saying "We're staying here!" (). ==Arrest and trial==

Lina Engel was arrested on 5 November 2020, and had remained in custody up to the verdict. On 31 May 2023, the last day of the trial, Lina was greeted by spectators with applause and cheers. Hans Schlüter-Staats, the Higher Regional Court of Dresden judge overseeing the trial, stated that "opposing right-wing extremists is a respectable motive" and that there had been "deplorable" deficiencies in recent trials of far-right extremists, but that she has still committed serious crimes and that the legitimate monopoly on violence belonged to the state, not to private individuals. He announced that the court had reached a guilty verdict and sentenced the defendant to five years and three months in jail. Upon the announcement of the verdict, far-left spectators shouted slogans against the court, such as "[you are] friends of fascists!" () and "fuck class justice!" (), which prompted the judge to announce a 15-minute break. Following the verdict, Lina Engel was released, pending appeal. A second decision to affirm or overturn the sentence can take a year and a half. Her passport was confiscated to eliminate flight risk. ==Reactions==

Germany's Minister of the Interior, Nancy Faeser, said that the government will act decisively against any left-wing violence following the verdict. On 13 November 2025, the United States Department of State declared Antifa Ost to be a foreign terrorist group pursuant to NSPM-7. Protests Protests against the verdict were organized by left-wing groups in Berlin, Hamburg, Dresden, and other cities. In the city of Leipzig, some clashes broke out between protestors and police officers in the first demonstration after the trial, with around 800 protestors in attendance. In response to a larger protest dubbed "Day X" (), planned to take place on 3 June, the city banned public gatherings. Around 1500 protestors attended the banned Day X protest, which was broken up by police. Analysis Sabine Volk of the University of Passau told the BBC that there was a perception "that the state isn't doing anything against the neo-Nazi scene" among the radical left in Germany, adding that the perception was "not entirely true but it's not far-fetched either." ==See also==