After an alleged security incident involving AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla in Ingolstadt on Wednesday, Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) accused the party of deliberately lying and delegitimizing the state order. The Bavarian AfD’s top candidate Katrin Ebner-Steiner had previously announced that the police had denied the party’s candidates and politicians the protection they had requested: “Has Herrmann declared the AfD outlawed?”
This was “fictitiously made up,” said Joachim Herrmann on Friday South German newspaper. “This is an outrage. I see this as an attack on our police with the aim of discrediting the security authorities and damaging trust in our state and in our democracy.” Research in the State Criminal Police Office and the Ministry of the Interior did not reveal any such inquiries from the AfD.
In general, the Federal Criminal Police Office and the state criminal investigation offices decide on protective measures based on an individual risk assessment. “This is by no means a political decision, as the AfD falsely portrays, probably in order to put itself in the role of victim, as is so often the case,” says Herrmann. At the appearance in Ingolstadt, Chrupalla was accompanied by bodyguards from the Federal Criminal Police Office, according to a spokesman for the authority South German newspaper confirmed.
“Needle prick on the right upper arm”
Herrmann had already said on Thursday evening that it was frightening “how infamously and conniving the AfD is trying to capitalize on the incidents among its own clientele in the state election campaign without waiting for the investigations.” The excitement about Chrupalla was already running high. Representatives and defenders of the AfD spoke directly of an attack, some even of an assassination attempt on their top man, and raged against their political opponents who had paved the way for such an attack with alleged verbal gaffes.
Chrupalla went to the hospital on Wednesday after arriving at an election campaign meeting in Ingolstadt, complaining of arm pain and nausea. On Friday afternoon, the AfD reported, citing the doctor’s letter from the Ingolstadt Clinic: A “needle prick on the right upper arm” was discovered in Chrupalla’s case. The public prosecutor confirmed this a little later. The AfD further announced that Chrupalla had been diagnosed with an “intramuscular infection with an as yet unknown substance”. According to the Ingolstadt public prosecutor’s office, however, no substances were discovered during the chemical-toxicological examination – apart from the painkillers administered.
In addition, based on previous witness statements, including those of Chrupalla himself and those of his bodyguards, there is “no basis” for the claim that the AfD co-chairman was stabbed in the arm with a syringe while taking selfies before the election campaign event visitors – AfD circles had previously spread this. The witnesses also did not perceive any other physical attack. The investigation was ongoing.
Ramelow shares a picture of a Swiss roll filled with blue cream. “Victim Role” is written next to it
The fact that the AfD viewed the incident as an attack on Wednesday evening was not only criticized by Bavaria’s Interior Minister. Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow (Left) shared a picture on the short message service X on Thursday of a Swiss roll filled with blue cream with the AfD logo on it. “Victim Role” is written next to it. He wrote: “Why, why does that occur to me today?”
There had previously been excitement about a canceled appearance by Chrupalla’s co-party leader Alice Weidel on October 3rd. The AfD reported that after an incident at Weidel’s home she had to go to a safe place. The Mirror but reported that Weidel was in Mallorca. On Friday, the AfD announced that Weidel had followed the “advice” to “make himself rare at home.” The Federal Criminal Police Office responsible for Weidel’s protection denied that the cancellation of the election campaign appearance was done on his advice. And Bavaria’s Interior Minister Herrmann says: “Our security authorities were not aware of any threats in or from Bavaria.”
According to the AfD, Tino Chrupalla left the hospital on Thursday. He has now also received further prominent support: Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned the Khrupalla incident at an event in Sochi. Such attacks point to “Nazi methods,” Putin said.