Germany’s Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser says that the security authorities must send a clear signal by increasing the punishment for violence against elected officials ahead of upcoming election campaigns. Photo: Kay Nietfield / DPA / AP / NTB
Of NTB | 08.05.2024 09:04:53
Crime and justice: – In order to send a clear signal, the security authorities and the judiciary must ensure fast and consistent case processing, says Germany’s Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser.
The federal ministry’s call for stricter penalties is intended to protect both elected officials and election workers from violence and threats.
Last week, the German SPD politician Matthias Ecke was attacked and knocked unconscious in the city of Dresden when he put up election posters. The injuries were so extensive that Ecke had to be operated on. A 17-year-old who is believed to have far-right sympathies has been arrested in the case. The incident joins the series of several attacks by people on the far right wing in the country recently.
Statistics show that more and more crimes are committed against elected officials in Germany, says Faeser. In 2023, 2,710 offenses against elected officials were registered, an increase of 53 per cent compared to the previous year.
– Democracy needs a political culture that is free from hatred and agitation, and even more free from violence, says German Federal President Frank-Walter Statenmeier.
(© NTB)