A Berlin senator was attacked in a library amid violence against German politicians

A Berlin senator was attacked during a library visit on Tuesday as violence against politicians appears to be increasing in Germany.

Franziska Giffey, Berlin’s senator for economic affairs, was hit in the head with a bag of hard material while visiting the library in her district in the German capital on Tuesday afternoon, Berlin prosecutors said in a statement.

Giffey, a former mayor of Berlin, described the moment of the attack on Instagram: “Suddenly I felt a hard blow from behind on my head and neck. A man had attacked me with a bag full of hard contents.”

According to the public prosecutor’s office, the suspected perpetrator is a 74-year-old man. Prosecutors added that he had already been charged with state security and hate crimes and there was evidence that he was mentally ill.

“The 74-year-old man was previously charged by police with state security and hate crimes. However, investigations into the defendant’s motive for yesterday’s attack are still ongoing,” it said in a statement.

“The defendant is to be brought before an investigating judge today. Since there are indications that the defendant is mentally ill, the Berlin public prosecutor’s office should obtain an order for placement in a psychiatric clinic in accordance with Section 126a StPO.”

It came days after a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and European Parliament was attacked and seriously injured by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Dresden, eastern Germany.

Separately, the Saxon state police announced that two people had been arrested in Dresden on Tuesday evening for another attack on a Green Party politician. The 47-year-old, who has not been named, was putting up posters when she was attacked by two people.

The Greens in Saxony wrote on X that their members would continue the election campaign and not allow themselves to be intimidated. She also said she would support a bill to improve legislation to protect against attacks on politicians.

Berlin Senator Giffey commented on the increasing attacks, saying she was “concerned and shocked by the growing ‘wild animal culture’ in which politically active and committed people in our country are increasingly exposed to attacks that are supposedly justified and acceptable.”

Meanwhile, Scholz described the attacks on Giffey and other politicians as “outrageous and cowardly”.

“Violence does not belong in a democratic debate. Anyone who is decent and sensible is clearly against it – and that is the majority!”

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also went to X to talk about the safety of politicians after Wednesday’s attack. “We must protect everyone who stands up for our democracy,” she wrote. “It doesn’t matter which party.”

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