Gettigen is the location - Environmental activist assaulted during political gathering
A series of assaults on politicians escalates - a member of the state parliament in Lower Saxony has become the latest target. Green Party politician Marie Kollenrott was attacked and lightly injured at a campaign stand in Göttingen over the weekend. The assault was reported by the police and the Green Party caucus on Saturday night.
In response, the Vice President of the German Parliament Katrin Göring-Eckardt criticized the attack and advocated for the protection of democracy. "We won't back down! We will defend democracy in our country," she posted on social media platform X. She also wished Kollenrott a speedy recovery, "both physically and mentally." Green politician Jürgen Trittin showed solidarity and stated on X, "Violence should have no place." The political director of the Green Party, Emily Büning, stated, "Another attack on a politician represents an assault on our democracy and free elections. We will not be frightened."
The suspected attacker was caught not long after the incident near the crime scene. The 66-year-old man was identified and later released. The state security agency responsible for investigating political offenses is now probing the case. Police said the man from Göttingen made disparaging remarks about the Green Party during the election campaign in a crowded section of the city center. Shortly after, there was a brief political discussion which culminated in the man assaulting the politician.
There have been several attacks on politicians and election campaign workers in recent weeks. In Dresden, an SPD campaigner named Matthias Ecke was severely beaten and had to be hospitalized. A Green local politician, Yvonne Mosler, was shoved and threatened when erecting election posters. In Berlin, a suspect was temporarily put under psychiatric observation after attacking the SPD Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey. Attacks on politicians from the AfD party have also been recorded - for instance, a member of Lower Saxony's parliament a few weeks ago.
The Federal Police Office has expressed concerns over the growing number of crimes against public officials and elected representatives. In the last five years, the number has tripled to approximately 5,400 crimes, according to the agency head, Holger Münch. Despite the rise in violent crimes, most remain verbal assaults rather than physical attacks. "Such violence could escalate into attempted or completed murder - as we saw in the Walter Lübcke case, for instance. To prevent this from happening, we're extremely cautious and alert," Münch said. Police believe that discontent with government institutions is stirring up insults, threats, and violence. This trend is intensifying in the lead-up to upcoming national and regional elections. Voting takes place for the European Parliament on June 9, and in September, state parliaments will be elected in Saxony, Thuringia, and Brandenburg.
Lower Saxony's Minister President Stephan Weil expressed his disapproval of the attack on the Green MP: "It is completely unacceptable that politicians are repeatedly targeted in violent attacks during election campaigns. This trend we're witnessing now is alarming." Weil stressed that it's essential for people to make their beliefs public without fear of retribution. He urged for decisive action to be taken against unmanageable aggression. "We're horrified," said Lower Saxony's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Culture, Julia Willie Hamburg (Greens) on Sunday. "These attacks on dedicated politicians are no longer isolated incidents. They are intended to intimidate. They directly assail democracy. We all need to stand together in these times and decisively respond to the adversaries of democracy: "No further!"
The head of the Green Party caucus in Lower Saxony, Anne Kura, also condemned the attack: "We are devastated, but won't back down." Other Green members of the state parliament echoed these thoughts. The leader of the CDU parliamentary group in Lower Saxony, Sebastian Lechner, denounced the "dastardly attack" on Kollenrott "in the strongest terms." The perpetrator must face the consequences set forth by the constitution, the politician wrote on X on Saturday evening.
Read also:
- Tough return to normality in snow and ice
- Fewer unauthorized entries: Domino effect through controls
- Trial against BND employee from mid-December
- Xhaka leads Leverkusen to triumph in cup tournament, scoring two goals.
Source: www.stern.de
