Two AfD politicians attacked – Antifa claims responsibility for attack
AfD MPs attacked
Before a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, two AfD politicians were attacked in front of the state parliament in Stuttgart. The two members of the state parliament were slightly injured – but medical treatment was not necessary.
Two AfD politicians were attacked in Stuttgart at a celebration celebrating 75 years of the Basic Law. According to police, the men were “verbally and physically attacked.” Two young women were stopped while trying to escape. Now the Stuttgart Antifa has claimed responsibility for the attack.
DThe Anti-Fascist Action Alliance Stuttgart and Region has committed to the protest at an AfD information stand in front of the state parliament, during which two AfD MPs were slightly injured. The group admitted on its homepage and on Instagram that it had “disturbed” the AfD stand at Eckensee in Stuttgart.
After a short time there was “a scuffle between the security service and members of the AfD”. The Antifa activists also emphasized in a statement on Friday that they had been physically harassed by both security employees and AfD MPs.
The communication speaks of a “creative disruptive action”. Antifa did not respond to the police’s information that two members of parliament had been physically attacked and injured by the disruptors. It is said that the AfD is portraying itself as a victim. The Antifascist Action Alliance also criticized State Parliament President Muhterem Aras (Greens) for saying she regretted the incident.
Police had already suspected Antifa behind the attack
The state security agency is investigating the case. A police spokesman said on Friday morning that a connection to Antifa could be assumed based on the inscriptions on the unrolled banner. That is the subject of the investigation.
Before a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the Basic Law, two AfD politicians were attacked in front of the state parliament on Wednesday. According to the police, medical care was not necessary. The two AfD MPs reported being hit in the neck and head. The two members of the state parliament were slightly injured.
The police also said that suspected party opponents also blocked the state parliamentary group’s information stand on the opera forecourt on Wednesday afternoon and held up banners.
According to police reports, the perpetrators fled on foot towards the state parliament. Two women allegedly involved, aged 19 and 23, were stopped. She is being investigated. The personal details had been recorded, a police spokeswoman said on Wednesday afternoon. She assumes that the two women are free again. It is now being determined to what extent they were involved in the crime.
The other suspects are still being sought. According to the information, there are video recordings that are currently being evaluated. Police are asking witnesses to come forward about the incident.
MPs blame left-wing extremists
The attacked MPs, the deputy parliamentary group leader Miguel Klauß and the security policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group, Hans-Jürgen Goßner, commented on the incidents in press releases on Thursday. The two parliamentarians said that left-wing extremists had attacked the stand.
Klauss stated that he had been hit in the head. Goßner reported that a young woman hit him in the neck. Klauß spoke to the German Press Agency about five to six young people, mostly women, who had unrolled a banner in front of the information stand. On Klauß’s video recordings, activists can be heard chanting the phrase “All of Stuttgart hates the AfD.” The slogan “No rest for right-wing agitators, AfD & their supporters” is emblazoned on the banner. A criminal complaint has been filed, says Klauß.
After the incident, State Parliament President Aras condemned any form of violence in political debate. “I very much regret that there were disruptions at the AfD parliamentary group’s stand,” said the Green politician on Thursday afternoon. “Open exchange and tolerance of different opinions are part of a democracy. I condemn any form of violence, no matter from which direction it comes and who it is directed against.” Violence can and should never be a means of political debate.
The security service and the state parliament administration intervened immediately in the incident, said a state parliament spokesman about the incident. The state parliament administration is in contact with both the AfD parliamentary group and the police.
Several attacks during the election campaign for the European elections on June 9th, such as on the SPD European politician Matthias Ecke in Dresden, had recently caused horror across the country. In the Ecke case, the Saxony State Criminal Police Office attributes at least one of the attackers to the right-wing spectrum. On Tuesday, Berlin’s Economics Senator Franziska Giffey (SPD) was slightly injured in a physical attack. In Dresden, the Green Party’s top candidate for city council, Yvonne Mosler, was jostled and threatened while hanging up election posters.
The federal and state interior ministers spoke out in favor of better protection for politically active people and the consideration of stricter criminal law.