Berlin’s Economics Senator Franziska Giffey (SPD) was attacked by a man and slightly injured on Tuesday afternoon. The Berlin police announced this on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday.
“According to previous findings, Ms. Giffey was suddenly attacked by a man from behind in a library on Alt-Rudow Street at around 4:15 p.m. with a bag filled with hard contents and hit in the head and neck.”is it[calledin the message.
The perpetrator then left. It remains unclear whether he was caught. When asked, the police initially did not comment on possible motives. “Mrs Giffey briefly went to hospital for outpatient treatment of headaches and neck pain.”, the police said. The State Police and the Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office are investigating.
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The district of Rudow in the south of the Neukölln district is Giffey’s constituency for the Berlin House of Representatives. The library is the district library, which moved into a new building on Alt-Rudow Street at the end of 2021 and has since been called the Gertrud Haß Library. It was initially unclear whether the senator was there because of a political appointment.
It was also unclear whether she would be able to continue working as planned after the treatment. There was to be a citizens’ consultation with Giffey in Rudow on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning she is scheduled to present the state’s new solar campaign at the Berlin Futurium and in the late afternoon she will give a welcoming speech at the “140 Years of Energy for Berlin” celebration at the Mitte thermal power plant. Giffey himself has not yet commented on the attack.
Berlin’s governing mayor, Kai Wegner (CDU), said on Platform X on Wednesday morning about the incident: “I condemn the attack on Franziska Giffey in the strongest possible terms. Anyone who attacks politicians is attacking our democracy. We won’t accept that.”
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The Senate will discuss the consequences, “including harsher punishments for attacks on politicians,” Wegner announced. He expressed his condolences to Giffey and wished her a “quick recovery.”
Giffey’s party colleague and Interior Senator Iris Spranger also commented on the attack on
“The state and federal police are doing everything they can to protect politicians. At the special meeting yesterday, the Conference of Interior Ministers agreed that democracy must be protected more effectively from hate speech and misinformation. Protecting individuals from such attacks under criminal law also serves to protect democracy itself,” continued Spranger.
Dirk Stettner, chairman of the CDU parliamentary group in the Berlin House of Representatives, said of the attack on X: “Completely, absolutely unacceptable!” He wished Giffey a speedy recovery.
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Bettina Jarasch, leader of the Green Party in the House of Representatives, also appeared shocked by the attack on X. “The entire @GrueneFraktionB wishes her a speedy recovery and condemns this attack,” Jarasch said.
Clara Herrmann, mayor of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, also condemned the attack. “Attacks on politicians and election workers are attacks on our democracy. “We democrats stand together,” said the Green politician on X. She wishes Giffey a speedy recovery.
Hate comments are made on social media and verbal violence creates a breeding ground for physical violence.
Stephen Wehregional head of the police union (GdP) Berlin
Stephan Weh, regional head of the Berlin Police Union (GdP), also wished the Senator for Economic Affairs a speedy recovery. He hoped “that this sneaky attack leaves no lasting trace,” Weh said in a statement. “Attacks on elected officials have increased in recent years, hate comments are made on social media and verbal violence creates a breeding ground for physical violence. Instead of exchanging opinions and facing arguments, today there is a rush and attacks.”
It is time for sustainable measures to be taken to protect politicians, police officers, firefighters and volunteers, Weh said. He called for better criminal protection for officials and elected officials as well as a strengthening of the police and judiciary in terms of personnel and technology.
Politician attacked again in Dresden
At their special meeting on Tuesday, the interior ministers spoke out in favor of better protection for politically active people and also in favor of tightening criminal law. The background was the recent attacks on politicians and volunteers during the election campaign for the European elections on June 9th.
At the weekend, an attack on the Saxon SPD top candidate Matthias Ecke caused horror across the country. On Saturday it became known that the politician had been brutally beaten the day before while hanging up election posters.
Corner had to have surgery on his face. A suspected perpetrator turned himself in on Sunday. Three suspects have now been identified.
On Tuesday, Dresden police reported another attack on a politician. A 47-year-old Green Party politician was pushed and spat on while putting up election posters. (with dpa)