Our Mission Statement

Incidents are any social acts in which the perpetrator’s actions convey to the victim that they are of lesser worth, do not belong, and that their existence in this society is (indirectly) threatened. These acts include racist or antisemitic discrimination, right-wing or group-focused hostile statements, and the glorification or trivialization of National Socialism, as well as insults, harassment, threats, physical assault, property damage, and arson.

Even if those affected are not directly involved in the interaction, as is the case, for example, with property damage, the purpose of the act (signaling inequality, exclusion, or a threat) becomes clear to them.

Victims can assess the perpetrators' motives based on their experiences of interaction. HiNT gathers the perspectives and interpretations of the victims.

Right-wing ideological attitudes are rooted in the belief in the superiority of a self-group defined in nationalistic and/or ethnic terms. Those who are placed outside this ethnic self-group or who do not meet the ideal of high performance are regarded as inferior. Individuals and groups labeled as “foreign,” as well as the poor and disabled, are excluded and subjected to hostility and intentions of annihilation. The notion of the superiority of an ethnocentrically constructed collective is inextricably linked to its reproduction, which goes hand in hand with adherence to heteronormative notions of gender and society.

Right-wing attitudes cannot be viewed in isolation as the personal views of individuals. They are the product of structural conditions, social institutions, and societal representations (social norms, values, discourses, and ideals). Right-wing attitudes shape the actions of individuals and thus reproduce structures, institutions, and representations.

Racism is a system of beliefs, discourses, and practices in which the “other” is constructed on the basis of certain phenotypic or cultural characteristics and is imbued with negative attributes, homogenized, and naturalized (essentialization). Conversely, one’s own group is elevated. The devaluation of “others” legitimizes, (re)produces, and perpetuates hierarchies, the unequal distribution of goods, resources, and power, as well as social exclusion.

Racism can be categorized into specific forms of racism based on the groups it targets, its historical origins, and its social function.

• Anti-Muslim racism targets individuals and groups identified as Muslim and asserts that Christian-Western and Muslim cultures are incompatible. In anti-Muslim racism, not only do cultural and ethnic categories intertwine, but phenotypic factors are also used to distinguish between them (Shooman 2014).
• „Antiziganism describes the socially entrenched perception of and treatment toward people or social groups who have been and continue to be constructed, stigmatized, and persecuted as ‘Gypsies.’ It targets Sinti and Roma, Yenish people, and travelers, among others, for whom antiziganism is often a defining experience” (MIA, n.d.).
• Anti-Black racism is closely linked to the colonization of the African continent and slavery, and serves (or served) as a narrative used to legitimize exploitation and oppression. To this end, Black people have been and continue to be attributed negative characteristics and portrayed as inferior (Auma 2021; Neue deutsche Medienmacher*innen n.d.).
• Anti-Kurdish racism is primarily a product of the emergence of nation-states in the Middle East (particularly Turkey and Iran), in the context of which genocides were committed against the Kurdish population (Jasmin 2024: 33). It manifests itself “through systematic discrimination, hostility, or violence toward persons of Kurdish origin” (IAKR n.d.) perpetrated by members of the majority society or, for example, persons with Turkish or Iranian backgrounds. Anti-Alevi and anti-Yezidi racism have similar effects on people with Alevi or Yezidi identities.
• Anti-Slavic racism or anti-Slavism are based on the pseudo-scientific construct of an ethnically homogeneous group known as the “Slavs,” and they essentialize and devalue people from Eastern Europe. Among other things, it legitimized the Nazi policy of conquest and extermination (Panagiotidis/Petersen 2023).
• Anti-Asian racism refers to essentialist discourses about and practices targeting people perceived as being of Asian descent, often in relation to countries in South, Southeast, and East Asia. Those affected may be devalued, exoticized, and portrayed as a threat (e.g., during the COVID-19 pandemic), as well as subjected to positive forms of racism (e.g., emphasizing diligence and willingness to integrate) (Mediendienst Integration 2021).

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We use the working definition of the Bundesverbands der Recherche- und Informationsstellen Antisemitismus e. V. (RIAS), which is based on the definition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). It is widely accepted within the research community and civil society and serves as the basis for data exchange with RIAS.  

“Antisemitism describes socially transmitted perceptions of a Jewish collective that has been constructed by others. The power of these fictions is evident in the prevalence of antisemitic attitudes and public debates, and can manifest itself as hatred toward Jewish people. Antisemitism is directed, in word or deed, against Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, as well as against Jewish community institutions or religious institutions.

Furthermore, the State of Israel—understood here as a Jewish collective—can also be the target of such attacks. However, criticism of Israel that is comparable to criticism of other countries cannot be considered antisemitic. Antisemitic statements often contain the accusation that Jews are engaged in a conspiracy against humanity and are responsible for the fact that 'things are not going right.' Antisemitism manifests itself in speech, writing, and images, as well as in other forms of action; it employs negative stereotypes and attributes negative character traits.” (RIAS n.d.; german language and italics in the original)

Antisemitism is therefore directed not only against Jews as a religious community, but also against the State of Israel and individuals and groups who are identified as Jewish and/or Israeli. Based on the targets of antisemitism and its history, it is possible to distinguish between different subtypes:

• In Modern Antisemitism, Jews are portrayed as a conspiratorial community that wields global power and is responsible for all problems and crises (Rensmann 2025: 66). In this context, the Jewish collective is held responsible for the misconduct of individuals identified as Jewish (RIAS n.d.).
• Secondary Antisemitism (post-Shoah antisemitism) manifests itself in the trivialization, relativization, and denial of the Shoah as a means of deflecting guilt and the memory of the crimes of National Socialism and one’s own ancestors (Rensmann 2025: 66ff.). Manifestations include a reversal of perpetrator and victim roles and the claim that Jewish people exaggerate the Shoah or even invented it (RIAS n.d.).
• Anti-Israel Antisemitism manifests itself, for example, in the claim that Israel pursues colonialist interests, in the application of double standards toward Israel, in linking Israel to traditional antisemitic symbols (e.g., the accusation of the murder of Christ), in comparing Israel’s policies to Nazi policies, and in holding all Jewish people collectively responsible for Israel’s policies (RIAS, n.d.).

“Heteronormativity refers to […] power relations based on hierarchical gender relations and the unquestioned assumption of natural heterosexuality and a binary gender system. […] The distinctive features of heteronormativity lie in the maintenance of a binary gender system and the unquestioned ‘naturalness’ and legitimacy of heterosexual couple relationships […].“ (Winker/Degele 2009: 46)

Heteronormative ideas are not only products of right-wing ideologies surrounding femininity, masculinity, and the family, but also of the capitalist system, in which unpaid or low-paid reproductive labor performed by women and the gendered division of labor contribute to the most profitable exploitation of labor as a commodity. Accordingly, heteronormativity permeates society as a whole and makes right-wing discourses on gender and sexuality accessible.

HiNT focuses on incidents motivated by right-wing ideology. Therefore, we concentrate on right-wing heteronormativity manifested as hostility toward women and LGBTQI* persons.

Social Darwinism is a system of discourses and social practices that, based on supposedly unequal capabilities and pseudoscientific conceptions of society, asserts the inequality between groups on the basis of socioeconomic or physical characteristics. In the spirit of the law of the jungle, it serves to legitimize the unequal treatment and extermination of those labeled as 'weaker.'

Social Darwinist claims of inequality serve an important function in meritocratic societies by justifying unfair distributions. As such, they extend beyond right-wing ideologies and are not always distinguishable from classism. HiNT records only incidents that are motivated by right-wing ideology and stem from hostility toward people with disabilities, the poor, and the homeless.

The construction and labeling of political opponents, along with their denigration and the call to combat them, are inherent to right-wing ideologies and practices. Within right-wing groups, these serve to forge identity and foster unity; outside these groups, however, they act as a deterrent and are intimidating.

Friend-foe constructs are based on the distinction between one’s own group and the 'outsider' group. Here, too, the 'outsider' group is homogenized and devalued, and the groups are polarized and hierarchized. However, in relation to political opponents, the focus is less on legitimizing the unequal distribution of power and resources and more exclusively on justifying their suppression and destruction.

The dissemination of right-wing propaganda encompasses any public statement or display of right-wing, racist, antisemitic, misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ+, social Darwinist, or anti-political-opponent content, imagery, and symbols, as well as right-wing conspiracy theories, in both the physical and virtual worlds. Its goals are the dissemination of right-wing narratives, the intimidation and instilling of fear in potential victim groups, and the assertion of right-wing presence.