Olaf Scholz condemns attacks on politicians after third attack in a week | Germany

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has strongly condemned a series of attacks on politicians after a senator and former mayor of Berlin was hit in the head at a public library in the third attack on an elected official in less than a week.

Franziska Giffey, a member of Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), was slightly injured and briefly hospitalized after a man hit her from behind with a bag containing an unknown hard object on Tuesday. Police have arrested a 74-year-old male suspect.

“The attacks on Franziska Giffey and other politicians are outrageous and cowardly,” said Scholz on Wednesday. “Violence does not belong in a democratic debate. Decent and sensible people are clearly against it – and they are the majority.”

The federal government condemned an “increasing number of despicable attacks” and added that a “climate of intimidation and violence” could not be accepted. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

“We have to protect everyone who works for our democratic society from attacks, regardless of which party they belong to,” said von der Leyen, who was in Berlin for a conference. “If they are no longer safe, our democracy will no longer be safe either.”

The attack on Giffey came as state ministers called an emergency meeting and called for greater police protection for politicians. The number of verbal and physical attacks has skyrocketed this year in light of the upcoming European and local elections.

Giffey’s alleged attacker, who was known to the police for hate crimes and unspecified “incidents against state security”, is said to have psychological problems, according to police.

Giffey said she was “concerned and shocked” by a culture in which politicians are “increasingly subjected to attacks that are supposedly justified and acceptable… We live in a free and democratic country where everyone is free to express their opinions.” But There is a clear line – and that is violence against people.”

But she added that elected officials must be able to mingle with the public. “I like taking the subway, I like being out and about, I like talking to people, I like approaching people. And I want to hold on to that. This is my city,” she said.

Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner said anyone who attacks politicians is attacking “our democracy… We will not tolerate that.” He promised to consider “tougher penalties for attacks on politicians.”

Also on Tuesday, two people were arrested in Dresden after a 47-year-old Green MP was pushed and spat on while putting up campaign posters. The couple had previously been seen in a group of people making Nazi salutes, police said.

“The perpetrators wanted to publicly declare their own district a restricted area for the Green Party,” a Green Party spokesman said in a statement. “Their hatred and recklessness in front of the camera is disgusting and shocking.”

Last Friday, SDP MEP Matthias Ecke required surgery after sustaining serious injuries when four people attacked him while he was displaying EU election posters in the same city in eastern Europe, a current hotspot for attacks on politicians attached.

The police are investigating the attack against four suspects between the ages of 17 and 18 who, according to German media, are suspected of having connections to the right-wing extremist group “Elblandrevolte”.

According to preliminary police figures, 2,790 crimes were committed against politicians in Germany in 2023, an increase from 1,806 the previous year but a decrease from the 2,840 in 2021, when Germany’s last federal election was held.

Mainstream politicians blame the rising political violence on the resurgence of the far-right Alternative for Germany party, which could win three state elections this year. The government has announced that it will consider tightening laws against political attacks.

AfD co-chairwoman Alice Weidel said attempts to use the attack on Ecke for political purposes were “vile and irresponsible” and that AfD politicians and members were also frequently attacked.

Reuters and Agence-France Presse contributed to this report