Xenophobic riots erupt in right-wing stronghold
BERLIN: Under socialist reign, the eastern German city of Chemnitz used to carry the name “Karl Marx City”, in tribute to the communist icon.
But over the past two days, the city of 240 000 has produced headlines on the opposite side of the political spectrum after xenophobic riots there drew condemnations from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The violence came after officials said on Sunday that a 35-year-old man was killed in the city as the result of a “dispute between several people of different nationalities”. One Syrian and an Iraqi national were detained in the incident.
Amid protests over the death, right-wing mobs later attacked foreigners in broad daylight, injuring several people. At least six more people were injured on Monday after far-right groups, neo-Nazis and leftwing protesters clashed.
Authorities said they were investigating 10 protesters accused of giving the banned “Hitler salute”.
The violence came weeks ahead of regional elections in the neighbouring federal state of Bavaria, where the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU) has faced accusations of playing into the hands of far-right populists by fuelling tensions between refugees and German nationals. One of the CSU’s most prominent politicians – Interior Minister Horst Seehofer – has so far refused to comment on the attacks, despite widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum.
In Saxony – where Chemnitz is located – the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party ranks second in the polls, with Merkel’s governing Christian Conservative Union (CDU) only five percentage points ahead.
Whereas Merkel’s initially welcoming stance toward refugees did not significantly hurt the CDU’s ratings in many western German federal states with higher migrant populations, Saxony’s far-right has been more successful in capitalising on immigration fears.
It is believed the strong performance of right-wing populists in the state is linked to xenophobic violence, even though the AfD’s leadership has distanced itself from the weekend incidents.
Saxony has been among the German states with the most violent attacks on foreigners with almost 100 incidents last year. The AfD was accused of inciting the violence after an MP tweeted “people will go on the streets and protect themselves”, if authorities fail to do so. The German government condemned the violence.