On Sunday, various groups clashed on the market square in Mannheim. An alliance of several actors had called for a vigil after a man injured seven people there on Friday. Following the knife attack that left seven injured at an event by the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa in Mannheim, heated scenes unfolded on the city’s market square on Sunday. An inter-party alliance had called for a vigil against violence and hatred. Simultaneously, a rally by the Junge Alternative, the youth organization of the AfD, took place on the market square. Videos online show demonstrators forming a long human chain in the city center, and how the police clashed with a group of Antifa activists. They waved red flags and set off flares. The slogan “Nazis raus” (Nazis out) was chanted on the market square. According to the “Mannheimer Morgen” newspaper, there were repeated skirmishes between police and Antifa supporters.
The police officer who was injured during the attack died on Sunday. The motive of the 25-year-old perpetrator is still unclear. The suspect is reportedly Sulaiman A., originally from Afghanistan. He has been in Germany since 2014, is married, and has two children, according to prosecutors. He has not previously come to police attention and lives in Heppenheim, Hesse. Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised a tough stance against violence following the knife attack and an assault on CDU politician Roderich Kiesewetter. “Violence against democratic politicians, whether on the left, in the center, or on the right, is never acceptable and will not be tolerated by us,” emphasized the SPD politician on Sunday at the East German Economic Forum in Bad Saarow, Brandenburg. He pledged to take action against anyone attempting to restrict the democratic space with violence, regardless of whether the motive is left-wing extremist, right-wing extremist, or Islamist.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser and State Interior Minister Thomas Strobl also urged a tough approach against those glorifying the attacker’s actions online. Faeser condemned glorifying the murderous knife attack as despicable and inhumane. Strobl emphasized that crimes, especially murder, will be punished with the full force of the law and not celebrated. Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer labeled the images of the knife attack as a sad testament to where extremism leads. He stated that violence will never be accepted, whether it comes from the left, the right, or the Islamist environment. According to BPE treasurer Stefanie Kizina, the attack was targeted against the 59-year-old Munich Stürzenberger, who has been active as an Islam critic for years and is monitored by the Bavarian constitution protection. Stürzenberger, who was injured in the face and thigh, described the attack as a nightmare and sudden.
Even after the knife attack in Mannheim, BPE plans to continue appearing at public events. Kizina expects that the police will tighten security measures. The attacker, Sulaiman A., is currently in the hospital and unfit for questioning. He is being held on an attempted murder charge. It is crucial for the authorities to remain vigilant and address any attempts to incite violence or restrict democratic space, regardless of the motive behind such acts. The incident in Mannheim serves as a reminder of the ongoing threat posed by extremism and the importance of upholding democratic values and the rule of law.
