Migrant support group warns of escalating right-wing violence in Magdeburg after deadly Christmas market attack
A support group for immigrants in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, in which the city of Magdeburg is situated, has advised foreigners to avoid going out alone at night in the city.
Concerns were heightened after the deadly incident at the Magdeburg Christmas market on December 20, when a man rammed his car through a crowd, leaving five people dead, including a child, and over 200 injured. Taleb al-Abdulmohsen, a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist, has been arrested for the crime.
The organization that issued the warning, Lamsa, “has spoken to the Ministry of the Interior, and the police want to send more patrols onto the streets at the turn of the year,” BILD wrote on Monday.
According to the outlet, the Saxony-Anhalt region has received many reports of right-wing extremism. Some of its political and public figures have already responded to the issue.
“Migrants in our midst have been afraid of being attacked since the [Christmas market] attack and don’t dare leave their homes these days… We must face up to the new violence,” the regional bishop of the Evangelical Church in Central Germany, Friedrich Kramer, said.
Eva von Angern, leader of the Left Party in Saxony-Anhalt’s parliament, posted on X on Saturday about an “increase in hostile treatment” and in attacks. “Looking for scapegoats is too easy. Let us show solidarity with the migrants in Magdeburg and resolutely oppose the hostilities,” the politician wrote, stressing that all migrants ought not to be held responsible for the actions of few.
The Christmas market attack suspect Abdulmohsen had been living in Germany since 2006 and was granted refugee status in 2016. He has a history of legal issues, including a conviction for “disturbance of public peace by threatening crimes” in 2013, which resulted in a fine but did not affect his asylum request. Saudi Arabia had reportedly warned German authorities about Abdulmohsen and even requested his extradition, but those warnings were not acted-on.
Lawmakers from various parties have criticized the government’s handling of the case following Monday’s hearing. Konstantin Kuhle of the Free Democrats (FDP) stated that, although federal and state authorities were aware of the suspect, they failed to connect the dots. Gottfried Curio of Alternative for Germany (AfD) was even more critical, pointing out that “everything was foreseeable,” and calling for deportations instead of naturalizations.
The Christmas market attack has ignited a heated discussion regarding security and immigration policies in Germany, especially with an upcoming national election in February. Recently, Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised to “thoroughly investigate whether there were any shortcomings among the authorities” and if any important clues were overlooked.
