After a brief discussion

Green politician attacked in Germany

A Green Party politician was beaten at an election campaign stand in a pedestrian zone in Göttingen on Saturday (symbolic image).

(Bild: APA/dpa/Nicolas Armer)

A Green Party politician was attacked at an election rally in Göttingen, Germany, on Saturday. After a brief political discussion, a man punched Marie Kollenrott, a member of the state parliament, several times in the upper body, causing her minor injuries.

The incident occurred at an election campaign stand in a pedestrian zone near the Old Town Hall in Göttingen, Lower Saxony. According to initial findings, the man first made derogatory remarks about the Green Party and briefly discussed the matter with the later victim. He then approached the woman, punched her in the upper body and left again, the police said.

The member of parliament and a witness pursued the attacker and alerted the police. They arrested the 66-year-old shortly afterwards. State security is now investigating. Kollenrott suffered minor injuries to his arms in the incident.

Here you can see a report on X about the incident.

Attacks on politicians are becoming more frequent
"We condemn the attack in the strongest possible terms," said Green Party parliamentary group leader Anne Kura. "Physical attacks on female democrats are an attack on our democracy. We are shocked, but we will not be intimidated." "Our democracy only works if people are visibly committed to their convictions in public," said Lower Saxony's SPD Minister President Stephan Weil. It is "unacceptable that politicians are repeatedly the victims of violent attacks during election campaigns".

In recent weeks, politicians and campaign workers in Germany have been repeatedly attacked. In Dresden, SPD campaigner Matthias Ecke was beaten until he was hospitalized, while local politician Yvonne Mosler (Greens) was jostled and threatened while putting up election posters. AfD politicians were also targets of attacks.