Baerbock condemns attacks on politicians

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has sharply criticized the recent attacks on politicians. "Brutal attacks on committed democrats, campaigners and politicians are attacks on the foundation of our #democracy: free elections," the Green politician wrote on the platform X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. The reports about this are frightening. "Violence is never a means of democracy - regardless of the spectrum."

On Friday evening, the Saxon SPD's leading candidate for the European elections, Matthias Ecke, was beaten up by four strangers while putting up election posters in Dresden. The 41-year-old MEP has since been hospitalized and requires surgery. Shortly before, according to the police, the same group had presumably attacked and injured a 28-year-old Green Party campaign worker nearby.

The incidents in Dresden are part of a nationwide series of attacks on party members ahead of the local and European elections on June 9. Only on Thursday evening, member of the Bundestag Kai Gehring and his party colleague Rolf Fliß were attacked after a Green Party event in Essen and Fliß was reportedly beaten in the process.