Berlin senator struck on head amid concerns over rise in violence against German politicians

A senior member of the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party and a Berlin senator, Franziska Giffey was injured after a man hit her with a bag containing a hard object in a local library, said the police, on Wednesday (May 8).

What we know about the attack

The incident took place on Tuesday (May 7) afternoon when the suspect came up behind Giffey to slug her in the head and neck at a library in Berlin before running away, said the police in a statement.

The former mayor and member of Scholz’s party, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), was slightly injured and taken to hospital for a short time to treat the pain.

The police, on Wednesday, said that they have arrested a 74-year-old suspect, who was previously known to them for hate crime and unspecified incidents against state security. The person was also believed to have mental health issues, according to the police.

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The Berlin public prosecutors office said that an investigation into the motive of the alleged perpetrator was ongoing and will examine if the man should be placed under psychiatric care.

In a series of posts on X, Giffey said after the “initial shock, I can say that I am fine.”

Giffey, in one of the posts, noted that she is “concerned and shocked about a growing ‘free wild culture’ in which people who are engaging politically in our country are increasingly exposed to attacks that are supposedly justified and acceptable”.

She added, “We live in a free and democratic country, in which everyone can be free to express his or her opinions…but there is a clear line – and that is violence against people.”

Attacks against German politicians

The attack on Tuesday came amid a growing concern in Germany about a spate of attacks against politicians ahead ofJune’s European Parliament election.

On Tuesday, a German politician who was identified as a 47-year-old from the Greens party was threatened and spat upon as she hung up campaign posters for the upcoming EU elections in the German city of Dresden.

The incident was caught on camera by German public international broadcaster DW.

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A man, 34, and a woman, 24 have been arrested and are under investigation for their suspected involvement, said the police. The duo was standing with a group which reportedly begun making the banned Hitler salute as the politician was hanging up the posters.

The attack on Tuesday came days after the attack on another SPD member in Dresden.

On Friday (May 3) evening, Matthias Ecke, 41, a member of the European Parliament for the SPD was hospitalised with serious injuries after he was kicked and beaten to the ground while putting up posters for the EU election.

Four German teenagers, aged between 17 and 18, are being investigated over the attack. According to German media reports, all four belong to a far-right group known as “Elblandrevolte”.

(With inputs from agencies)