German Chancellor condemns attack on politician, calling for unity against far-right

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denounces the attack on SPD politician Matthias Ecke and calls for unity against far-right activism

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Saturday condemned the recent attack on Social Democratic Party (SPD) politician Matthias Ecke, who is campaigning for the European Parliament elections.

Ecke was attacked and seriously injured by four assailants while putting up campaign posters in Dresden on Friday.

Scholz emphasized the importance of unity against far-right activism, stating that democracy faces a threat and ignoring such incidents is not an option.

Scholz attributed the rise in such incidents to the rhetoric and sentiments propagated by right-wing populist groups such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Scholz made the remarks during a congress in Berlin in the run-up to the upcoming European elections.

“Democracy is threatened by something like this and that is why shrugging your shoulders is never an option,” Scholz maintained.

Before Ecke’s attack, the same group allegedly attacked a 28-year-old campaigner for the Greens, who was only slightly injured.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser condemned the attack as an attack on democracy and vowed to step up tough measures and protective measures against democratic forces in the country.

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, also expressed her horror at the attack on Ecke and emphasized the need to address the increasing violence against politicians. 

According to government figures, the number of attacks on politicians from parties represented in parliament has doubled since 2019.

Source: Newsroom