German MEP Matthias Ecke (SPD) was attacked while putting up posters in Dresden’s Striesen district and beaten until he was hospitalized. His party speaks of a new dimension of “anti-democratic violence”. Ecke was seriously injured in the attack on the street.
While hanging up election posters for the SPD late on Friday evening, four unknown people hit the 41-year-old, police announced on Saturday. He had to receive medical care in the hospital. The politician must therefore undergo surgery. It is said that he suffered broken bones in his face. It was said that witnesses would attribute the perpetrators to the “right-wing spectrum”.
The SPD sees a “treacherous” attack
The SPD said there were further attempts at intimidation, destruction of posters and insults among other poster teams. Federal presidents Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil strongly condemned the attack on the Saxon MEP.
“This treacherous attack affects our entire party. “It is an attack on all election campaigners who passionately support our democracy and the rule of law,” the country said in a statement on Saturday. “The perpetrators want to intimidate us as representatives of a democratic society. But that will never work.” It is expected that the crime will be solved and the perpetrators will be held accountable.
The Minister of the Interior speaks of an attack
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser strongly condemned the attack on MEP Ecke. “If a politically motivated attack on MEP Matthias Ecke is confirmed a few weeks before the European elections, then this serious act of violence is also a serious attack on democracy,” Faeser said on Saturday. “We are experiencing a new dimension of anti-democratic violence here.”
At the same time, she announced tough rule of law measures. She added that extremists and populists who are fomenting an increasing climate of violence with completely unrestrained verbal hostilities against democratic politicians bear some of the responsibility for the fact that attacks are becoming more common.
Tough action required
“The rule of law must and will respond to this with tough action and further protective measures for the democratic forces in our country. I will discuss this very quickly with the interior ministers of the states.”
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (also SPD) wrote on X on Saturday: “All democratic parties must oppose violence. The truth is: the AfD has been sowing hatred and agitation for years in a way that has never existed before in our politics, causing violence.”
The perpetrators are being sought
Police say four minutes earlier a group attacked a 28-year-old Green Party campaign worker as he was putting up a poster. The perpetrators hit and kicked him, which also injured the 28-year-old. Based on the matching personal descriptions and the proximity in time and location, State Security investigators assume that the perpetrators in both cases are the same.
Source: Krone
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