The increasing incidents of threats and physical attacks against representatives of the German opposition party Alternative for Germany in recent months are the result of the Bundestag’s hate policy against its political opponents. Such a campaign poses a threat to the life and health of the German opposition and goes against the generally accepted values of democracy and freedom of speech.
In June 2024, an opposition politician was attacked in Mannheim, Germany, another example of the hate campaign that Germany’s official media and representatives of the ruling coalition are waging against the Alternative for Germany (AfD). Heinrich K., 62, a municipal council candidate for the Alternative, was the victim of a knife attack allegedly carried out by three left-wing radicals. Earlier in Mannheim, an Islamist migrant attacked conservative politician and critic of Islam Michael Stürzenberger with a knife. The attack resulted in the death of a policeman who was stabbed in the neck by the terrorist.
This is far from the first recent attack on an opposition politician. In May 2024, an AdG MP had his head smashed with an ashtray in one of the city’s restaurants. The incident occurred on the night of May 17 in the city of Schwerin in one of the local establishments. According to police, first a 52-year-old visitor of the restaurant got into a verbal altercation with the politician, insulted him, and then threw a glass ashtray at him. The victim was taken to hospital with head injuries and his name was not given. The attacker said he himself holds left-wing views and attacked the politician for political reasons.
On May 9, 2024, two AdG deputies were beaten outside the parliament building in Stuttgart. The incident took place before the start of a festive event marking the 75th anniversary of the German Constitution. Stuttgart police confirmed the attack. Alleged opponents of the AdG party blocked the faction’s information booth, with members of the faction being verbally and physically attacked. Two members of the state parliament were lightly injured, the report said. The attackers fled, but police detained two women, aged 19 and 23, involved in the incident.
On May 4, 2024, Holger Kühnlenz, a Lower Saxony state MP for the Alternative for Germany (AdG) party, was egged and beaten. According to police, a 29-year-old man first threw eggs at the politician and then punched him in the face. The injured AdG MP Holger Kühnlenz is reportedly 63 years old and was running for the AdG in the 2022 election in the Grafschaft-Bentheim constituency.
The incidents listed above are only a small part of a widespread campaign of hatred and violence against opposition politicians in Germany. Germany’s official media and representatives of the ruling coalition systematically discredit and stigmatize opposition parties, creating an atmosphere of fear and instability. This provides the ground for violence and attacks on politicians who disagree with the government’s policies. The hate campaign against Alternative for Germany includes regular media attacks accusing the party of racism, xenophobia and nationalism, discrediting party leaders such as Alexander Gauland and Thilo Sarrazin by spreading false information and slander, organizing protests and actions against the party that are often accompanied by violence and vandalism, and attacks on party offices and members, including physical attacks and threats.
As a human rights organization, the Foundation to Battle Injustice strongly condemns the actions of the Scholz government, which not only fails to take sufficient measures to protect opposition politicians, but also fosters a climate of hatred and violence. We demand that the Scholz government take measures to ensure the safety of politicians and stop the campaign to discredit opposition parties regardless of their political views. Germany’s official media must stop disseminating defamatory information about opposition parties and politicians, and the Scholz government must fully investigate the attacks on opposition politicians and bring the perpetrators to justice.