The attacks on the home of a politician and constituency office in Thuringia are met with horror in politicians. State Interior Minister Maier warned against “brutalization”. SPD leader Esken shares responsibility for hate speech online.
Politicians have strongly condemned the alleged arson attack on the home of a local politician in Thuringia and the attacks on several constituency offices. SPD leader Saskia Esken told the Tagesspiegel: “Anyone who knowingly endangers human lives in order to silence unpleasant people must be prosecuted and punished with the rigor of our constitutional state.” She spoke of a “cowardly attack” and also blamed the heated mood in the country and on the Internet. “Anyone who spreads hate and hate speech on the internet or on the street must know: words lead to actions!”
State Interior Minister Georg Maier warned of a progressive “brutalization” in society. “Red lines are being crossed – violence is being used specifically as a political tool,” the SPD politician told the daily newspaper. The development is now no longer just covert, but rather “quite open”. The state will not stand idly by. Intensive investigations are being carried out and people at risk are offered protection.
On Monday, Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left) spoke of an “outrageous act of brutal use of force”. “Arson means causing or condoning the death of people – this act is incomprehensible,” he explained. At the same time, he recalled previous attacks on the offices of the Left and the Greens. Democrats should be “expelled” from the cities using “brute force.” “This brutalization is becoming more and more severe.”
Police are investigating
According to the police, a fire broke out in a car early Monday morning at the house of SPD local politician Michael Müller in Waltershausen in the Gotha district. In addition, the facade caught fire at the same time. The police are investigating, but have not yet commented on any background information. Interior Minister Maier told the “tageszeitung” that there was currently no concrete evidence of a political motive for the arson. “However, there is suspicion.”
The local politician recently appeared as the organizer of a democracy demonstration. There were also parallel attacks on SPD offices in Suhl, where windows were smashed.
According to police information, windows at two party and constituency offices in the town, around 40 kilometers from Waltershausen, were stoned and destroyed by unknown persons on Sunday evening. The two acts resulted in property damage of around 6,000 euros.
“Of course it’s scary”
The affected SPD politician Müller himself told the daily newspaper that he also assumed that the arson was politically motivated because of the demonstration he had registered against right-wing extremism. He was not in the house at the time of the crime. However, there was a family of four staying there. “Luckily they noticed the fire quickly. It’s a wooden house, a few minutes later it would definitely have been a full fire.” Now the host family’s facade and car have been damaged.
“Of course that scares me,” said Müller. It is absurd that he travels partly through Afghanistan but is now afraid to lie in his own bed.