A demonstration in Magdeburg. Photo: Eibner-Pressefoto/Lars Neumann
Three days after the tragic attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, thousands of supporters of the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) demonstrated in the city centre. At the same time, thousands more counter-demonstrators organised a peaceful protest under the slogan of countering hate.
AfD demonstration: calls for accountability
In Magdeburg’s Cathedral Square, about 3,500 people supported the AfD’s call for a rally, where harsh statements about the country’s security policy were made from the rostrum. Party leader Alice Weidel said that a “genuine explanation” of the circumstances of the attack was needed. The party’s Secretary General Jan Wenzel Schmidt accused the government of a “political failure”, saying that allowing the suspect to be granted asylum demonstrates the ineffectiveness of the authorities.
Counter-demonstration: unity and solidarity
Approximately 4,000 counter-demonstrators gathered under the slogan “We want to cry – don’t give in to hatred!” Participants carried candles, creating a symbolic chain of light. “This is a light for a cosmopolitan city,” said Oliver Wiebe, a representative of the Don’t Give Hate a Chance initiative. Migrants’ rights organisations warned of a rise in racism and called for restraint in discussions of the tragedy.
President’s reaction: a call for unity
In his Christmas address, German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for social unity. “Hatred and violence must not win. Let us not be separated. Let us stand together,” he said.
Steinmeier called on citizens to turn to the values that helped the country overcome crises in the past and expressed confidence in the ability of society to withstand new challenges.
Details of the attack
On Friday evening, a 50-year-old man drove a car into a crowd at a Christmas market in Magdeburg, killing five people, including a nine-year-old child. About 200 people were injured, many of them in serious condition.
According to police, the suspect is a doctor from Saudi Arabia who has been living in Germany since 2006. Investigators say that he had recently become radicalised, sympathising with the AfD and expressing Islamophobic views. Representatives of the party have denied the allegations of links to the attacker.
Political reaction
Interior Minister Nancy Feser called for urgent strengthening of internal security and the introduction of new laws to prevent such attacks. “We have to do everything we can to protect the people of Germany,” she said, adding that law enforcement powers and personnel should be expanded.
The tragedy in Magdeburg has raised serious security concerns ahead of the German elections and the need for societal unity to counteract hatred.
