Other attempts to intimidate and destroy posters were also made, the statement said. The attack is currently being investigated by the Violent Crimes Task Force of the State Criminal Police Office.
The SPD blamed supporters of the far-right party Alliance for Germany (AfD) for the attack on Ecke. “His supporters are now completely demoralized and understandably we see the democrats as fair game,” the statement said. Saxony is one of the AfD’s political strongholds.
Politicians expressed solidarity with AK on Saturday. Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, a fellow Social Democrat, said he was “outraged and horrified by this act of violence” and wished AK a speedy recovery.
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European Parliament President Roberta Metzola said she was horrified by the brutal attack and called for those responsible to be brought to justice. “Mathias, [the European Parliament] He is on your side.” wrote In a post on X.
“Unfortunately, these attacks are not new,” Said Saxony’s Interior Minister Armin Schuster on Saturday. “What is absolutely worrying is the intensity with which the attacks are increasing.”
Minutes before the attack on Ecke, a 28-year-old campaign worker for the Greens, who was also putting up posters, was attacked by a group of four men, German TV news Tageschau. informed of,
According to Saxony’s Interior Ministry, in the first week of the European election campaign, 51 politically motivated crimes against election posters were reported to the police. A total of 112 politically motivated crimes have been recorded since the beginning of the year in connection with elections in Saxony, 30 of which were against officials or elected officials.