German politician Matthias Ecke seriously injured after attack during campaign

German MEP Matthias Ecke (SPD) was attacked and beaten in Dresden while he was pasting election posters. He was seriously injured and requires surgery.

Four unknown persons attacked Matthias Ecke on Friday when he was out campaigning. They beat the 41-year-old top candidate for the Social Democrats in the European elections until he was seriously injured. He remains in hospital and requires surgery. According to Der Spiegel Ecke suffered, among other things, broken bones in his face.

Other campaign teams were also insulted and intimidated. Perhaps it was the same group of four that had physically attacked a German Greens campaign worker minutes earlier (around 10:30 p.m.).

A police spokesperson knew Der Spiegel saying that the alleged perpetrators dressed in black and, according to witnesses, had far-right sympathies. They were estimated to be between 17 and 20 years old. State security is conducting an investigation and the police are looking for witnesses to the incident.

Fascists

“Violent actions and intimidation of democrats are the typical behavior of fascists,” said the leaders of the SPD in Saxony. “The seeds that AfD and other far-right extremists have planted are germinating.” They respond determinedly: “One thing is clear: we will not allow ourselves to be muzzled.”

Other leading SPD politicians also reacted with shock. “I am angry and shocked by this act of violence, which is also an attack on democracy,” wrote Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil on platform X.

Alarm signal

Saxony’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Martin Dulig, said against Der Spiegel that he finds it incomprehensible “how much hatred and contempt for humanity the right-wing parties have sown in Germany.” Ecke previously worked for Dulig and the two Social Democrats are friends. “I am stunned and think of his lovely wife and his two small children.” SPD politicians describe the attack on Ecke as an “unmistakable alarm signal” for all Germans.

Local elections will be held in September in the German state of Saxony. According to Saxony’s Ministry of the Interior, 112 politically motivated crimes have been registered in connection with elections since the beginning of the year. Recently there have been more attacks on politicians in Germany, especially on members of the Green Party. Robert Habeck (Minister of Economy and Climate) was attacked in January and last Thursday, Bundestag member Kai Gehring and Essen’s third mayor Rolf Fliß were attacked in Essen.