Exploring the Facts - Local AfD politician hurt; assailant now in mental health facility.
A candidate from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Mannheim was hurt by a knife-wielding thief as they chased him. The perpetrator, a 25-year-old man, was later arrested and sent to a psychiatric institution. Investigators reported that there was evidence of mental illness during the arrest. The authorities stressed that at this stage in the investigation, there is no clear indication that the suspect realized the victim was an AfD politician. The victim's injuries were not severe.
Weapon: Knife
On Tuesday evening, the suspect reportedly damaged and stole several AfD campaign posters. Witnesses informed the police, and the AfD politician discovered the crime and chased the thief. The 25-year-old then stabbed the pursuer with a knife, according to reports. However, the victim was not seriously injured and was hospitalized.
The suspect escaped after the incident, but was later found by the police and taken into custody without resistance. The prosecution plans to request a detention order from the district court.
According to the AfD district association, the incident occurred close to the market square in Mannheim's Rheinau district. The AfD candidate vying for a seat on the city council had apparently caught three people in the act of stealing campaign posters. Two of the suspects managed to escape.
A video provided by the German Press Agency (dpa) shows the AfD official chasing a younger man across the market square, yelling "Stop! Stay where you are!" The young man is seen with several AfD campaign posters under his arm and a carpet knife in his hand. "Lay it down immediately!", the AfD member shouts. There is then a struggle. The footage is blurry.
The Fliedner Hospital treated the AfD politician, who suffered injuries to his ear and abdomen. He had earlier participated in an event organized by the AfD district association before the incident. Stefan Finkler from the AfD city council faction was present during the event until the morning. The candidate is expected to be discharged from the hospital later in the day.
The party originally claimed that the attack had been carried out by left-wing extremists, but this was later removed from their statement. "We are deeply disturbed and appalled," said AfD state chairman Markus Frohnmaier. Anton Baron, the chair of the AfD faction in the Baden-Württemberg state parliament, labeled the knife attack an expression of "totalitarian power fantasies": "Whether Islamism or left-wing extremism - anybody who doesn't accept freedom of opinion or lacks convincing arguments is now resorting to violence. This is shocking and reflects the depth of the division in our society."
Another case of violence against politicians occurred just a few days earlier. A man in Mannheim, allegedly motivated by Islamism, stabbed several demonstrators at a rally organized by the Islam-critical movement Pax Europa. A police officer died during the incident.
There have been multiple instances of seemingly political attacks in recent weeks, including the assault on SPD campaigner Matthias Ecke that resulted in hospitalization.
Christian Specht, the Oberburgermeister of Mannheim (CDU), condemned the attack, stating, "This cowardly act is despicable and cannot be justified in any way. Anyone who assaults election candidates is undermining our free, equal, direct, and secret elections - and thus the foundation of our democracy." Green Bundestag member Franziska Brantner from Heidelberg, who also holds the position of parliamentary state secretary in the Federal Ministry of Economics, expressed her horror at the attack on the AfD city council candidate: "The increasing violence against politicians of all parties that we have witnessed in recent weeks is indefensible."
