Journalist attacked on the fringes of AfD events
An attack on a journalist on the fringes of an AfD event in Thuringia has sparked outrage. Thuringian Left Party co-chair Ulrike Grosse-Röthig spoke of an "attack on our democracy and the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of the press".
The State Press Conference - an association of political journalists - wrote on X: "Freedom of the press is non-negotiable. Anyone who sees it differently is endangering democracy."
Insults, blows and screws in car tires
The "Ostthüringer Zeitung" reported on Friday that its reporter was first insulted and then beaten on Thursday evening on the fringes of an AfD event in Plothen as he was leaving the event hall. His headgear was also pulled off. When he tried to drive off in his car, he discovered four screws sunk into his tires.
Christoph Rüth, Managing Director of Funke Mediengruppe, condemned the attack: "Our reporters are being actively prevented from doing their work. We will not be intimidated and certainly not threatened!"
The police confirmed that charges had been filed for damage to the car. There were initially no reports of a physical attack on the journalist.
Thuringia's AfD state spokesperson Stefan Möller told the German Press Agency that a politically critical stance towards a press or broadcasting institution could not automatically be interpreted as a call for violence. With the AfD, however, this is being attempted. The Thuringian AfD is classified and monitored by the State Office for the Protection of the Constitution as right-wing extremist.
According to the Funke Mediengruppe, the journalist in question was attacked once before - by the then mayor of Bad Lobenstein at a market festival. The mayor was subsequently suspended. The case made headlines across Germany. In his own words, the mayor felt provoked by the journalist, but denied an attack.
Source: www.dpa.com
