In Germany, after the Magdeburg attack, “hatred has gone up a notch”

What strikes you first is the silence. In the streets of the city center of Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt), Saturday December 21, almost only the crunch of the wheeled suitcases of those hurrying to return home to their families for the holidays resonates. The music was cut, the Christmas hubbub stopped. We search in vain for the familiar smell of grilled sausages, waffles and mulled wine, characteristic of the season. The Christmas market houses have kept their shutters closed and will not reopen, indicates the municipality.

Magdeburg mourns the tragedy of the day before: a man with still unclear intentions, a doctor of Saudi origin practicing in the region since 2006, a political refugee, launched his car at full speed against the crowd gathered at one of the main Christmas markets in the city. Five people died, including a child, 200 were injured, according to the latest report.

Near the Alter Markt tram station, not far from the Elbe, residents come to pray continuously. It was at this location, the only one not protected by a concrete block, that the rental BMW entered the market and mowed down the crowd for 400 meters, before being stopped by the police. On the ground are still the rubber gloves used by the paramedics, their emergency bags, and survival blankets. Behind the safety ribbons, passers-by try to reconstruct the vehicle's crazy race.

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