Campaign for European elections - Injury to election posters predominantly impacts the Greens and SPD parties.
During the European election campaign in Lower Saxony, police have recorded numerous incidents of vandalism towards campaign posters. From January 1st to May 31st, 2024, the Lower Saxony Criminal Investigation Department (LKA) reported 385 such cases, with the Greens suffering 151 instances and the SPD experiencing 104. The AfD saw 87 incidents involving either defaced or destroyed posters, while the CDU had 34, the FDP had 25, the Left had 21, and other parties faced 8 cases. The LKA spokesperson added that the figures are provisional and subject to change due to ongoing quality checks. Recently, the police have seen a surge in reports of crimes potentially linked to the European election.
The most common forms of crime observed in the Lower Saxony European election campaign, according to the LKA, are vandalism or theft of posters. However, physical assaults on politicians have also been documented. In Nordhorn, a local AfD member was assaulted at an information stand on May 4th. The 29-year-old perpetrator allegedly hit the politician, Holger Kühnlenz, when he tried to speak with him. The 63-year-old AfD state parliamentarian received minor injuries.
At a campaign event in Göttingen at the end of May, state parliamentarian Marie Kollenrott was attacked. The suspect, a 66-year-old individual, will stand trial for defamation and bodily harm at the Göttingen District Court on June 17th.
In the Uelzen district, a group of predominantly masked individuals gathered outside the home of AfD state parliamentarian Peer Lilienthal. The Lower Saxony Interior Ministry has launched an investigation into the incident, which is being treated as a case of defamation, slander, and libel.
