Scholz criticizes “cowardly” attack when ally was hit on the head in Berlin library

By Rachel More and Matthias Williams

BERLIN (Reuters) – Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Wednesday condemned a “cowardly” act after a high-ranking representative of his party was hit on the head in a Berlin library. It was the latest in a series of attacks on politicians in a polarizing climate as Germany prepares for elections.

Berlin senator and former mayor Franziska Giffey was slightly injured and briefly hospitalized after a man hit her from behind with a bag containing an unknown hard object.

A 74-year-old suspect, previously known to police for hate crimes and unspecified incidents against state security, was arrested, police said, adding that the suspect was also believed to have psychological problems.

Tuesday’s attack coincided with an emergency meeting of state ministers calling for greater police protection for politicians amid a surge in verbal and physical attacks in the run-up to European and local elections this year.

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

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was at a party conference in the German capital, said perpetrators would have to face the full force of the law.

“We must protect everyone who works for our democratic society and our country from attacks – no matter what party they belong to,” she said.

“If these people are no longer safe, then our democracy will no longer be safe either.”

On the same day, in a separate incident, two people were arrested in the city of Dresden after a member of the Green Party was pushed and spat on while putting up campaign posters. According to the police, two of them were demolished.

The two suspects had previously been seen in a group of people nearby and were heard shouting Hitler salutes, the police said.

A video from broadcaster DW, which filmed the incident, showed two people in black casual clothing with hoods confronting the Green team.

“The perpetrators wanted to publicly declare their own district a restricted area for the Greens,” a Green Party spokesman said in a statement.

“Their spitting hatred and recklessness in front of the camera is disgusting and shocking.”

‘THIS IS MY CITY’

Giffey condemned a “fair game culture” that targeted politicians, but also warned in televised speeches against isolating elected officials from ordinary citizens.

“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.

The incidents came days after another member of Scholz’s Social Democrats, Matthias Ecke, was kicked and punched while hanging posters, leading to him needing surgery.

Prominent members of the Green Party, which is in a federal coalition with Scholz’s SPD, also faced angry protests this year as Germany held a series of state elections amid growing support for the far right.

According to government data published in January, attacks on politicians in Germany have doubled since the 2019 European elections. In 2023 alone, the number increased by 53 percent compared to 2022.

Mainstream politicians blame the rising political violence on the resurgence of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which could win three state polls this year.

After the weekend attack on Ecke, conservative Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer said such aggression and intimidation were reminiscent of the darkest era in German history, referring to Nazi rule.

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

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said she would consider tightening the law against political attacks.

The latest incidents coincide with the trial of 27 people over an alleged plot by the far-right Reichsbürger group to overthrow the government and establish military rule.

(Reporting by Rachel More, Alexander Ratz, Holger Hansen, Andreas Rinke; Text by Rachel More and Matthias Williams; Editing by Kirsti Knolle and Christina Fincher)