Right-wing extremist involved in attack on German MEP

At least one of the four suspects involved in Saturday’s attack on Matthias Ecke, the Saxon Social Democrats’ top candidate for the European elections, is said to be linked to the extreme right. zeit.de Reports

Ecke was beaten by four people between the ages of 17 and 18 and suffered facial fractures. Saxony’s SPD leader Henning Homann said he had surgery on Sunday and was doing well.

According to a police spokesman, at least one of the suspects can be classified as a “politically motivated right-wing extremist”. However, it has not yet been confirmed that the attack itself had a right-wing extremist motive.

Police identified all four suspects after a 17-year-old came forward to authorities early Sunday morning.

During a raid, traces of right-wing extremism were found on the 17-year-old’s phone and in his apartment, it said zeit.de.

Thirty minutes before the attack on the Social Democrat, Green Party campaign workers were attacked on the same street. A day later, a campaign stand for the right-wing extremist AfD in Dresden and one in Lower Saxony were also attacked.

“Climate of Fear”

German left-wing parties have previously blamed the right-wing extremists to create a “climate of fear” after several physical attacks occurred in recent weeks.

Two Green Party politicians were attacked in Essen after a party event on Thursday evening. On the way home, the Greens were verbally attacked and one of them was punched in the face. The perpetrators have not yet been found; the police assume that the attack was politically motivated.

Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said on

German interior ministers are meeting with Faeser on Tuesday to discuss recent violence against campaigners.

However, Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) expects further incidents.

“We have to assume that there will be copycat attacks,” he told the German Press Agency Editorial network Germany.

On Sunday, police estimated 3,000 people gathered in Dresden and 1,000 in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin to protest against the recent violence and in solidarity with Ecke.

(Edited by Oliver Noyan/Alice Taylor)