Politics can also be a question of life and death in a democracy, said writer Navid Kermani on Monday evening in Cologne Gürzenich during award of State Prize of North Rhine-Westphalia. At same time, 100 miles furr east, a man put a knife to mayor of Altea's throat. He hurts Andreas Hollstein so hard that he has to be taken to hospital. The prosecutor will later speak of attempted murder and of a political motive. Apparently, perpetrator felt provoked by Hollsteins refugee-friendly policies.
While policemen made perpetrator arrest and paramedics verarzteten owner of kebab Grill, in whose premises attack had taken place and Hollstein had jumped, Kermani in Cologne turned to Lord Mayor Henriette Reker and said: The good Protected Germany must be grateful for representatives of people who would not forget for a second what is important. "It is not a small thing, but heroic, that you have not despondent, but without complaining, have continued with your office." Reker had been stabbed in a market place two years ago by a right-wing extremist.
The attacks on Henriette Reker and Andreas Hollstein are no longer an exception in Germany. Meanwhile, politicians are regularly attacked assaulted. So often that Federal Office has been conducting its own statistics of such attacks since last year. About 1,800 offences against officials and mandates were counted by BKA 2016, Federal Ministry on Demand. In vast majority of cases it is a question of written threats and Hassmails. But also violent attacks are in process, cars are lit, campaign offices are smeared or devastated.
Holger Münch, president of BKA, said: "We observe that offences against decision-makers, politicians, operators of refugee shelters and helpers are not isolated cases."
Most perpetrators are right-wing extremistsFigures from this year are not yet available. But a look at North Rhine-Westphalia shows that attacks have declined somewhat since culmination of refugee debate, from 53 last year to 36 this year. At same time, however, inhibition threshold seems to be declining to move from insults to violence. The North Rhine-Westphalia police registered 2016 only threats, but no physical or or acts of violence. By Tuesday, authorities had already counted six violent crimes this year.
Most of offences are perpetrated by right-wing extremists, a total of 808 of 1,800. On account of leftist offenders went 168 cases, 225 fall into category of foreign crime, 640 cases cannot be assigned to a page.
Mayor Hollstein cares about refugees. Already at beginning of his political career, as Speaker of Union Bundestag group, his main focus was on asylum seekers ' performance law. When a time-online reporter visited him two years ago in Altea, mayor raves about Angela Merkel's attitude in refugee policy. "I rediscovered C in CDU," he said back n.
Because Olda shrinks and has only about 17,000 inhabitants, Hollstein already 2014 plan to settle in empty flats of city families from citizens Kriegsgebieten. The city agreed to accept 100 refugees more than y would have been allocated according to official key. As many families with children as possible should be. All political groups in city Council agreed. For this use, Altea was even awarded National Integration Award in May.
Date Of Update: 29 November 2017, 12:02
