Right-wing extremism in German universities met by institutional silence and victim isolation, study says

A study into the impact of right-wing populism and extremism in German universities has found that the historical "tradition" continues to exist, leaving those targeted in a state of "isolated vulnerability", according to a German foundation.

A report published on 29/12/2025 by the Otto Brenner Stiftung (OBS), a German scientific research foundation, focused on the perspective of the people affected and found what the authors called "institutionalised speechlessness and organised isolation". This occurs when universities lack shared definitions of the problem, leaving victims to confront extremist incidents entirely on their own, according to the report.

The study, by researchers Christoph Haker and Lukas Otterspeer, concluded that overcoming the current state of "institutionalised speechlessness" required a fundamental shift in how universities perceive their role—moving away from a passive definition of neutrality towards a proactive, pluralistic environment that protects its members.

While the relationship between academia and the far right has been studied before, the…