- The election campaign was overshadowed by the attack in Thuringia, resulting in significant repercussions.
Following the attack in Solingen, there will be an enhancement of police presence at Thuringian folk festivals. The state police have been instructed to send additional patrols to these events and to sensitize all deployment forces. A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry also mentioned that the security concepts of the organizers will undergo closer scrutiny. Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) stated that these measures will be implemented promptly.
In the future, the interior ministry aims to allow districts and independent cities to independently decide on the implementation of so-called knife and weapon ban zones. Historically, consultations with the state have been necessary for this. According to the ministry spokesperson, plans for this have existed since before Solingen. The cabinet will vote on the necessary legal framework on Tuesday.
The number of knife attacks in Thuringia has significantly increased as per data from the state criminal office. In 2023, a knife was used or threatened in 418 cases. This figure was 267 in the previous year and 124 in 2021.
Maier attributed this increase in knife offenses to the incident in Solingen, stating that it highlights a strong nationwide increase that needs to be addressed urgently. "Ban zones" in conjunction with high police presence and control density are, according to Maier, an effective tool for risk prevention. For instance, a ban zone has been in effect in the city center of Stuttgart in Baden-Württemberg since February 2023. However, despite this, 53 knife attacks were reported within the boundaries of the ban zone in 2022, as per the state interior ministry in the southwest.
Voigt calls for deportation detention facilities
A city festival in Solingen witnessed three fatal knife attacks on Friday evening, leaving eight individuals injured, four of them seriously. A 26-year-old suspect from Syria has been in custody since Sunday evening, among other allegations, for membership in the Islamic State (IS) and murder. The suspect was supposed to be deported last year, but the process failed.
Thuringia's CDU top candidate, Mario Voigt, advocated for the establishment of deportation detention facilities in the state. In response to the Solingen attack, Voigt stated that if the CDU gained governmental power, they would introduce repatriation centers and deportation detention facilities in Thuringia. This demand was also reported by the Ippen media group. The state election for a new parliament is scheduled for Sunday in Thuringia.
According to the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior, there are no deportation detention facilities within the state. The ministry has a cooperative agreement with Rhineland-Palatinate, where they have rented and reserved a single deportation detention facility for Thuringia's use. Further rental options can be explored after consultation.
The Left warns against populism
Thuringian Left MP Katharina Köning-Preuss cautioned against a "competition of populist demands." She expressed her sympathies for the families and friends of the victims in Solingen. Instead of blaming individuals with a migration background, she suggested that more attention should be paid to those who have fled from Islamists and aspire to live in a peaceful world, just like us.
The state migration commissioner, Mirjam Kruppa, condemned the Solingen attack as heinous. She emphasized the necessity of society's opposition to any form of extremism and violence against fellow human beings.
The Solingen attack has cast a shadow over the election campaign in Thuringia. The AfD has frequently posted about this topic on social media. Thuringia's AfD top candidate Björn Höcke, among others, shared an image containing a bloody knife and a call to vote. The Thuringian CDU criticized this as "disgusting exploitation of the victims by Höcke" on Twitter.
The following measures, including an enhancement of police presence and closer scrutiny of security concepts, were announced by the Interior Ministry in response to the knife attacks in Thuringia. In light of the Solingen attack and the subsequent increase in knife offenses, Interior Minister Georg Maier advocated for the implementation of so-called knife and weapon ban zones in districts and independent cities.
