Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemns violent attacks on politicians

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has expressed his "horror at the violent attacks" on politicians from the SPD and the Greens. "It is intolerable when representatives of constitutional bodies such as the Vice-President of the Bundestag Katrin Göring-Eckardt, European election campaigners such as Matthias Ecke from Dresden and public officials such as the third mayor of Essen Rolf Fliß are attacked, obstructed or even beaten and injured in their democratic work," he wrote in a statement distributed in Berlin on Saturday.

"This outbreak of violence is a warning," Steinmeier declared. "All those who want to preserve our liberal democracy must now stand together across party lines against attacks and assaults in political competition." The Federal President appealed to everyone to conduct the political debate peacefully, with arguments and respect. "Let us not allow radicals to use brutality to destroy what makes democracies what they are during election campaigns: peaceful, fear-free political decision-making."

The security authorities and courts will do everything in their power to investigate the attacks and bring the perpetrators to justice. "I sincerely wish the victims of the attacks a speedy recovery and express my sympathy to them," said Steinmeier.

Göring-Eckardt (Greens) was aggressively harassed by demonstrators after an event in East Brandenburg a week ago and prevented from leaving for three quarters of an hour. Ecke (SPD) was beaten so badly on Friday evening while putting up posters in Dresden that he had to have an operation. Fliß (Greens) was beaten on Thursday evening after a party event in Essen. According to police reports, an AfD member of the state parliament was also beaten at an information stand in Nordhorn, Lower Saxony, on Saturday morning.