A criminal act took place in Mannheim. - Baerbock opines that debating stricter migration policies proves ineffective.
German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock cautioned against using the fatal knife attack in Mannheim as a catalyst for a tougher migration policy. She called this a "counterproductive" move during her speech at the "Staendehaus Treff" of the "Rheinische Post" in Dusseldorf on Monday evening.
"If the purpose of extremists, whether they are right-wing or Islamic, is to split apart free societies, then we must unite as a society to combat this," Baerbock implored. Splitting discussions won't help.
"Naturally, the Mannheim murder has impacted me deeply," the minister expressed. Now, the whole society must collectively demonstrate that it will not accept "the destruction of our democracy through hatred and hostility, with violence, with murderous intentions."
A 25-year-old man with Afghan nationality assaulted multiple people at an event of the anti-Islamic movement Pax Europa (BPE) in Mannheim City Center on the previous Friday. A police officer was critically injured by stab wounds and later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.
