Fist blow in Saxony
Attack on AfD man is said to have nothing to do with politics
28.05.2024, 23:05
Politicians are complaining about the recent frequent attacks on elected representatives and their supporters. The Greens and the AfD are particularly often affected. However, the latter will probably have to remove one incident from the list. One of their representatives was attacked in Saxony – but that probably has nothing to do with politics.
The physical attack on the Saxon AfD state parliament member Mario Kumpf reportedly had nothing to do with his political stance. This is reported by the “Bild” newspaper.
In the incident in the municipality of Ebersbach-Neugersdorf (Görlitz district) on Wednesday last week, Kumpf was hit in the face. Initially, there was talk of an attack in a supermarket. In fact, it happened outside the supermarket. Kumpf then called the police himself. They arrested a 53-year-old suspected attacker. Kumpf complained of headaches and jaw pain after the attack.
According to “Bild”, the Saxon AfD reported on X on Wednesday last week about a political attack on its state parliament representative. “Our representative was injured today in an attack in Ebersbach […] every physical attack for political reasons is one too many.” Kumpf is also said to have said: “Physical attacks of this kind, whether politically motivated or not, are not compatible with our values of peaceful coexistence.” According to the newspaper, however, this accusation is no longer tenable.
Public prosecutor Christopher Gerhardi confirmed to “Bild” on Monday that, based on findings, it was no longer assumed that the crime was politically motivated. State security had only taken over the investigation into bodily harm as part of its official duties because the victim was a politician.
The dispute was probably about a parking space
According to “Bild”, it was actually about a parking space. Kumpf snatched it from the attacker. This led to an argument, during which the 53-year-old punched him in the face. The suspect apparently did not even know that Kumpf was a politician.
Recently, there have been numerous reports of politicians from many parties being attacked, especially when putting up election posters. The number of attacks on politicians has already skyrocketed in 2023. According to Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser, there have been 3,700 attacks. Due to the European elections and three state elections this year, there have also been numerous attacks recently.