Merkel condemns attack on far-right MP

CHANCELLOR Angela Merkel led condemnations on Tuesday of a “politically motivated” gang attack against a far-right German MP, an assault that underlined an increasingly tense political atmosphere.

Frank Magnitz, leader in Bremen of the anti-immigration populist party Alternative for Germany (AfD), was badly injured in the assault in the city centre on Monday afternoon.

“Given the victim’s work, we believe that this is a politically motivated act,” police said.

The AfD party published a photo of Magnitz unconscious on a hospital bed, his face bleeding and swollen with a gash on his forehead.

It said three masked men had carried out the attack.

“They hit him with a piece of wood until he was unconscious a nd t hen k icked him on the ground,” a statement f rom t he part y sa id, adding t hat a const r uct ion worker had i nter vened to stop t he assault.

“Today is a dark day for democracy in Germany.”

However, police a issued joint statement with prosecutors saying that after reviewing sur veillance video footage they ruled out the use of a blunt object.

Magnitz, who is still in hospital, told national news agency DPA that he neither saw the attackers nor heard them say anything.

“I will in any case be more careful when walking through the area,” he said, adding that doctors were likely to keep him in hospital until the weekend.

AfD leader Joerg Meuthen tweeted that Magnitz was “beaten almost to death” in a “cowardly and sickening” attack.

Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote on Twitter that the “brutal attack” was “to be condemned sharply”.

“Hopefully the police will succeed in catching the perpetrators quickly,” he added.

Forei g n Mi n i s t e r Hei ko Maas sa id t here was “absolutely no justif ication” for t he use of v iolence despite politica l dif ferences.

“Anyone who carries out such a crime must be punished.”

‘Violence is unacceptable’

Party co-chiefs Alexander Gauland and Alice Weidel called the latest assault the “result of the incitement to hatred by politicians and media against us”.

German President FrankWalter Steinmeier wrote to Magnitz to express his “consternation” over the attack.

“Our democracy needs controversies, exchanges with arguments, even when this gets heated. But we must never allow political violence – regardless from which side,” he wrote, according to DPA.

Johannes Kahrs, an MP from the Social Democrats, junior partners in the ruling coalition, also said “violence is never acceptable” and that “extremism in any form is rubbish”. He wished Magnitz a quick recovery.

Cem Ozdemir of the opposition Greens party said he hoped those responsible could be “found and convicted soon” and that, even against a farright party, “nothing justifies violence”.

“Those who fight hate with hate only allow hate to win in the end,” said the politician of Turkish origin.