Mannheim's Newsmakers - Stürzenberger, a person, attacked with a knife due to his Islamophobia.
The knife attack that took place on Mannheim's market square on a Friday was connected to an event organized by the Islam-critical group, Pax Europa, according to its spokesperson, Stefanie Kizina. Kizina speculated that the attack was planned well in advance, as it occurred before the event even began. An official from the city of Mannheim confirmed that Pax Europa had registered a demonstration for that morning.
Just after the attack occurred on that Friday afternoon, a video circulated online showing a man slicing several individuals, presumed to be participants in the event. People can be heard yelling, "Take the knife away." The attacker also harmed a law enforcement officer, as the video demonstrates. The attacker is said to be in critical condition and needs surgery. The video also shows a law enforcement official firing at the attacker. Following this, the assailant is held down by multiple police officers. According to authorities, he was hurt as well.
Kizina announced that Pax Europa board member Michael Stürzenberger was injured in the attack. Stürzenberger was harm in the leg and the face and requires surgery, according to Kizina. Kizina spoke to Bild, the newspaper, about the incident.
The motive for the attack is still unknown. It's unclear if the knife attack was politically motivated or if it had anything to do with the Pax Europa event. The authorities are investigating these matters, and the State Criminal Police Office Baden-Württemberg is handling the investigation. Police couldn't verify an initial connection between the attack and the Pax Europa event.
Pax Europa is a group that refers to itself as BPE. Their website reports that one of their demonstrations in Mannheim was attacked.
According to Kizina, 59-year-old Stürzenberger and the circle around the Pax Europa movement are being watched by the Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution as they are considered a threat to Islam and are categorized under Islamophobia in Bavaria. Stürzenberger has acted as a representative for Pax Europa in the past.
Stürzenberger also appeared on the right-wing extremist website called Political Incorrect, making Islamophobic statements, according to the website.
Pax Europa claims they inform the public about "the essence and goals of political Islam" and report on "alleged human rights violations" and other threats to Germany and Europe. Comparatively, the Bavarian Information Center against Extremism labels them verfassungsschutzrelevant Islamophobia. Meanwhile, the federal branch of BPE isn't being monitored by the Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution.
Kizina and the Bavarian branch of Pax Europa are being observed in their efforts, according to the Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution. Stürzenberger has expressed his hatred for Islam in various places, including at BPE events and on the internet. He uses the website "PI-News," which stands for "Politically Incorrect." "These activities let him reach a wide audience with his Islamophobic agitation," says the Office for the Protection of the Constitution. They view Stürzenberger's activities as an "extremist endeavor in the world of right-wing extremism."
Stürzenberger's statements demonstrate a deep rejection of the Islamic religion. He doesn't differentiate between Islam as a religion and Islamism as an extremist movement. He equates Islam with terrorism under the title "Political Islam." He considers all followers of Islam to be part of "Political Islam."
Stürzenberger was previously a television journalist for BPE and the press spokesman for the Bavarian CSU from 2003 to 2004. Head European MP Monika Hohlmeier was involved at the time. In 2011, he joined the party Die Freiheit, which authorities later labeled as Islamophobic. Stürzenberger held the Bavarian state chairmanship in 2011-2012 and the federal chairmanship till the party dissolved at the end of 2016. Stürzenberger has taken part in demonstrations for the Islamophobic Pegida movement in Dresden numerous times. [The End]
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser of the SPD stated that the ongoing investigations will shine light on the motives and backstory of the perpetrator behind the act. If the inquiries uncover an Islamist motive, this would serve as more evidence of the potential threat posed by Islamist violent acts, which authorities have been cautioning about.
Read also:
- The knife attack in Mannheim was reported in various European newspapers, including the German 'Bild'.
- The investigation into the knife attack in Mannheim is being handled by the LKA Baden-Württemberg, which is responsible for the protection of the constitution in the region.
- Despite being monitored by the Bavarian State Office for the Protection of the Constitution due to Islamophobic views, Michael Stürzenberger, a key figure in Pax Europa, was injured in the knife attack.
- The attacks and activities of groups like Pax Europa, classified as verfassungsschutzrelevant Islamophobia by the Bavarian Information Center against Extremism, have sparked concerns across Europe, impacting societies and relations between different faiths and cultures.
