Germany: 2 far-right AfD politicians attacked in Stuttgart
May 9, 2024
Police in the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg said two politicians were attacked in the city of Stuttgart on Wednesday evening.
The two, who were identified as state lawmakers from the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD), suffered slight injuries, police said.
The incident is the latest attack on politicians in Germany, following days of violence against multiple left-leaning and Greens politicians.
What we know about the attack
The two state parliamentarians were standing at an information booth that the AfD had set up at an event marking the 75th anniversary of the German constitution, known as the Basic Law.
According to the police, suspected opponents of the AfD blocked the information stand and held up banners. Members of the parliamentary group were verbally and physically "attacked."
The AfD said one of the lawmakers was hit in the head and the other in the neck. It was not immediately clear what object they were hit with.
Police said two women, aged 19 and 23, were under investigation over the incident, while officers were still looking for other suspected perpetrators.
The AfD called on the state's interior minister, Thomas Strobl, to take action against left-wing extremism.
Spate of violence against politicians
Wednesday's attack came a day after Berlin's center-left economy minister, Franziska Giffey, was attacked at a library in the German capital.
In another incident on Tuesday, a 47-year-old Green party politician in the eastern city of Dresden was threatened and spat upon as she hung up campaign posters. A DW reporting team was at the scene and recorded the incident.
They reportedly belonged to a group of people standing nearby as the politician began her work. That group is also under investigation after an illegal Nazi slogan was allegedly heard emanating from it.
Earlier, European Parliament lawmaker Matthias Eckeand a Green Party campaign worker were also attacked in Dresden.
fb/rm (dpa, EPD)
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