The 74-year-old suspect in the attack on Berlin’s Senator for Economics, Franziska Giffey, has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital. The Berlin Public Prosecutor’s Office announced on Wednesday evening that the decision to temporarily place the accused in a psychiatric hospital had been made and executed as requested. The man allegedly attacked Giffey in a library on Tuesday afternoon with a bag filled with a hard object. Police and prosecutors had previously stated that there were already police information from the realm of state security and hate crime against him, as well as indications of a mental illness. According to reports, the suspect was under social psychiatric care recently.
Giffey was attacked in a library in Rudow, in her constituency, on Tuesday afternoon. She had been speaking with the library director when she suddenly felt a hard blow to her head and neck from behind. The attacker used a bag filled with a hard object. While attacking her, the assailant also spoke. Giffey said that the police had asked her not to reveal what he said for investigative reasons. Giffey briefly went to the hospital for treatment of head and neck pain after the incident. The attacker fled the scene. The State Security division of the criminal police, which deals with political crimes, is conducting the investigation.
Giffey expressed shock at the attack, especially since the library in Neukölln held a special significance for her due to her political history in the area. Despite the initial shock, she stated that she was doing well and would continue her work without being deterred. Giffey also voiced concern about the increasing culture of targeting politicians in the country. She emphasized that while freedom of speech is important in a democratic country, there is a clear limit when it comes to resorting to violence against those with differing opinions. The lack of personal protection at the event in the library was noted, as only the Mayor and the Minister of the Interior in Berlin are accompanied by personnel from the state criminal police.
The attack took place in Giffey’s constituency in Neukölln, where she previously served as district mayor before becoming Federal Minister for Family Affairs. After stepping down in 2021 due to the revocation of her doctorate, she returned to state politics and became Governor of Berlin until 2023. On the same day, there was also another attack on a politician in Dresden. Yvonne Mosler, a Green Party candidate for the city council, was attacked along with her colleague Cornelius Sternkopf and two media teams while putting up posters in the city. Two individuals, a 24-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man, were apprehended by the police as suspects in the assault.
The male attacker allegedly pushed the politician, insulted and threatened her, and tore down two campaign posters. The female suspect then spat on the politician while she was in the company of helpers and a film crew. Both suspects were taken into custody nearby, and charges of assault, threat, insult, and property damage were filed against the man, and assault charges against the woman. Additionally, they are being investigated for using symbols of unconstitutional organizations, as they were reportedly seen making the Hitler salute earlier. Both suspects were released pending further investigation. Just days earlier, the SPD’s lead candidate for the European elections in Saxony, Matthias Ecke, was also attacked by four young men while putting up campaign posters in Dresden.
