in Germany, demonstrations after the attack on a MEP and an environmental activist

A European MP and an environmental activist were beaten in the east of the country. Demonstrators marched to condemn these attacks in Dresden and Berlin.

Germany is in shock after the attack on an SPD MEP and an environmental activist in Dresden. The two men were punched and kicked on Friday June 3 while they were putting up posters for the European elections on June 9. While a teenager went to the police on Sunday claiming to be one of the attackers, two demonstrations against political violence took place in the evening, one in Dresden and the other in Berlin, Brandenburg. In the capital, franceinfo encountered demonstrators worried about the electric climate of the electoral campaign.

Some flags emerge from the crowd, notably those of the Greens of the environmentalist party, one of whose activists was kicked and punched, and the Reds of the SPD, the social-democratic party of the MEP attacked in Dresden. “The attack was terrible, it shocked me. It could happen to anyone”laments, in French, an SPD activist.

The extreme right singled out

Everywhere, elected officials and activists are increasingly being attacked. In the Saxony region, in the east of the country, 112 crimes linked to political motivations have been recorded since the start of the year. Lars Klingbeil, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, accuses the far right of toughening the electoral campaign.

“The atmosphere is more polarized. Attacks have increased, the language is becoming more brutal, there are calls for violence.”

Lars Klingbeil, co-chairman of the social democratic SPD party

at franceinfo

“We are experiencing this in the streets and on the internet. The AfD is creating a social climate for the Democrats of the SPD, Greens, CDU and FDP to be attacked”continues the social democratic leader.

Precautions for the rest of the electoral campaign

Since the attacks, SPD leaflets and displays have only been organized during the day. Same precautions among the Greens assures the co-president, Ricarda Lang, protected by three bodyguards: “We have made concrete recommendations: no longer travel alone during the electoral campaign. We must ensure that there is training on how to manage difficult situations and of course, that the police are present on the ground and well prepared.”

After the European elections, three regional elections are planned for September in Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg. Polls deemed to be at risk in these three Länder of the former East Germany, where the far right is in the lead.