An unknown man attacked the former mayor Franziska Giffey “from behind with a bag filled with hard contents” and injured her slightly. She was treated as an outpatient in hospital.
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- Franziska Giffey attacked in the library with a bag with hard contents
- Senator for Economic Affairs is undergoing outpatient treatment in the hospital
- Governing Mayor Wegner announces consequences
- Interior Senator Spranger and Interior Minister Stübgen react with dismay
- New attack on a politician in Dresden
Berlin’s Economics Senator Franziska Giffey (SPD) was slightly injured in a physical attack in the Rudow district. A man suddenly attacked the former governing mayor in a library on Tuesday afternoon “from behind with a bag filled with hard contents and hit her in the head and neck,” the Berlin police and public prosecutor’s office said on Wednesday night.
After the attack, the former Federal Minister for Family Affairs “went briefly to a hospital for outpatient treatment of headaches and neck pain,” the authorities said in a statement. The 46-year-old was hit in the head and neck. The attacker escaped undetected. The state security agency has taken over the investigation.
Giffey was at the event in the library without personal protection, as so far only the Governing Mayor and the Senator for the Interior have been accompanied by appropriate personnel from the State Criminal Police Office.
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Giffey: “I’m fine”
Giffey commented on the attack on Wednesday morning. She wrote on Instagram that the district library in Alt-Rudow, where the attack occurred, was “a special place” for her, also because she was committed to the new building of the facility during her time as Neukölln’s education councilor and district mayor. “I wouldn’t have thought it possible that I would be attacked there,” said Giffey.
As a constituency representative for Rudow, she visited the library on Tuesday afternoon and, during a conversation with the library manager, “suddenly felt a hard blow to her head and neck from behind.” A man attacked her with a bag.
“After the first shock, I can say I’m fine. […] Nevertheless, I am concerned and shocked by the increasing ‘fair game culture’ in which people who are politically active and committed in our country are increasingly exposed to seemingly justified and acceptable attacks.”
Giffey announced that she would continue her work today. According to rbb information, she is attending appointments today.
Wegner: Senate will discuss consequences
Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) reacted with dismay to the attack and announced consequences. He said on Counter hate speech and protect our democracy.”
Wegner announced that the Senate would discuss the consequences, including harsher punishments for attacks on politicians.
Interior Senator Iris Spranger (SPD) also reacted with horror to the attack on her party colleague. “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the attack on Franziska Giffey and other politicians or election workers, all of whom are committed to a contentious democracy,” Spranger wrote on X on Tuesday night.
Interior ministers are considering tougher penalties for such attacks
Spranger further wrote: “The state and federal police are doing everything they can to protect politicians. The Conference of Interior Ministers agreed at the special meeting yesterday that democracy must be protected more effectively from hate speech and false information. The criminal protection of the individual against such attacks also serves to protect democracy itself.”
On Tuesday, the federal and state interior ministers met for a special meeting in light of the recent attacks on politicians and election campaigners. They spoke out for better protection for politically active people and also for a tightening of criminal law.
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Interior Minister Stübgen reacts with concern – new attack in Dresden
The chairman of the Interior Ministers’ Conference, Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU), said on Wednesday morning on rbb24 Inforadio that the incident had shocked him very much. We have been experiencing increasing brutalization and threats for years, especially on social networks. But now there is a spiral of physical violence that worries him extremely, said the CDU politician. Already on Tuesday evening, after the Interior Ministers’ Conference, he said that the renewed attacks represented a development in which people wanted to achieve political goals using violence, hatred and agitation. “Lies, violence and threats threaten to become more and more part of the political discourse. This endangers our democracy.”
On Friday last week the SPD politician Matthias Ecke was there [mdr.de] was beaten up by four young men in Dresden. The top candidate for the European elections in Saxony wanted to put up election posters when the perpetrators surprised him. The Saxony State Criminal Police Office attributes at least one of them to the right-wing spectrum.
On Tuesday evening, police officers in Dresden also arrested a woman and a man after they attacked a Green Party politician while hanging up election posters. The 34-year-old man pushed the 47-year-old Green politician aside, tore down two election posters and insulted and threatened her and her team. The 24-year-old spat on the politician. According to the police, the duo was in a group near the crime scene before the attack, from which the Hitler salute was shown.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, May 8, 2024, 8:00 a.m