Teenager Turns Himself In After Attack on European Parliament Member
BERLIN — In a shocking turn of events, a 17-year-old has surrendered to authorities in Germany after assaulting Matthias Ecke, the Social Democratic Party’s (SPD) top candidate in Saxony, while he was putting up posters in Dresden.
The violent incident left Ecke, 41, with serious injuries that required surgical intervention, according to police reports.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz swiftly denounced the attack, labeling it as a direct “threat” to democracy.
Law enforcement officials disclosed that a group of four assailants physically assaulted and battered Ecke in the Striesen district of Dresden.
According to Der Spiegel, the teenage perpetrator voluntarily presented himself at a local police station in Dresden during the early hours of Sunday, accompanied by a parent.
Subsequently, authorities revealed that they are now actively searching for three additional suspects, all aged between 17 to 20 years old.
Ecke was in the midst of campaigning for the upcoming European Parliament election when the attack took place on Friday.
Shortly before targeting Ecke, the same group of perpetrators allegedly attacked a 28-year-old campaigner from the Greens party on the same street, as per police statements.
The assaults have triggered widespread condemnation from various political figures, with Scholz emphasizing on Saturday that such acts of violence pose a direct threat to democracy.
Addressing a gathering of European socialist parties in Berlin, Scholz asserted, “We must never tolerate such violent acts and must stand united against them.”
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser issued a stark warning, highlighting the growing trend of violence instigated by extremists and populists in the country.
The SPD has pointed fingers at supporters of the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) for orchestrating the attack on Ecke.
In a joint statement, Henning Homann and Kathrin Michel, who lead the SPD’s Saxony branch, expressed alarm over the incident, emphasizing that such violent assaults pose a severe threat to democratic values.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola extended her solidarity to Ecke, expressing shock and horror over the brutal attack.
Adding to the alarming trend, police reported that two deputies from the Greens party were harassed while campaigning in Essen, western Germany, with one of them being physically assaulted. — BBC
