Germany –
The Magdeburg attack is a “shadow over this Christmas”
German head of state Frank-Walter Steinmeier called on the country not to allow itself to be divided after the attack which left five people dead in Magdeburg on Friday.
Published today at 12:34 a.m.
The attack left five dead, including a 9-year-old boy, and more than 200 injured.
AFP
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The deadly attack in Magdeburg, in the north-east of Germany, casts “a shadow over this Christmas holiday”, lamented Tuesday the German head of state, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, in his traditional Christmas address , calling on the country not to “let itself be divided”.
The president spoke of the “sadness, the pain, the horror, the amazement at what happened in Magdeburg a few days before Christmas”, a car-ramming attack attributed to a 50-year-old Saudi psychiatrist who left five dead and more than 200 injured.
“Many will have heavy hearts this Christmas season. Many will be upset, worried, perhaps even frightened. All these feelings are understandable. But they must not dominate us, nor paralyze us,” added the leader according to the text of his speech, which will be broadcast on public television on Tuesday.
“Let us not allow ourselves to be divided”
“Our thoughts, our deep compassion today go to the families and friends of the people whom the criminal killed in such a cruel way,” he said.
“My dearest wish today is that we don't let this happen! Hate and violence must not have the last word. Let us not allow ourselves to be divided. Let’s stay united!” declared Frank-Walter Steinmeier as the tragedy once again reignited the debate on immigration.
“Cohesion, when necessary, is what characterizes our country. Let’s show it now,” he added. Even if the suspect's motives remain unclear, the carnage which left five dead, including a 9-year-old boy, and more than 200 injured has placed the questions of immigration and security at the heart of the campaign for the legislative elections. anticipated from February 23.
Critics of the AfD
Saudi psychiatrist Taleb Jawad al-Abdulmohsen, arrested Friday evening, expressed views hostile to Islam, his anger against German immigration officials and his support for far-right conspiracy stories about “Islamization » of Europe.
Living in Germany since 2006, he had refugee status. Shortly after the attack, the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party denounced the reception of hundreds of thousands of refugees in the country in recent years.
The government under pressure
Alice Weidel, co-president of the party, insisted on Monday on her X account: “the debate on new security laws must not distract attention from the fact that Magdeburg would not have been possible without uncontrolled immigration.”
Under pressure, the government of Olaf Scholz promised on Sunday a rapid and thorough investigation to clarify possible errors by the authorities in preventing the attack.
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