German police shot and wounded a man armed with a knife who attacked a right-wing demonstration in Mannheim on Friday. Social media footage captured the bearded man as he attacked people in Marktplatz square, where anti-Islam activist Michael Stuerzenberger was preparing to address a small crowd.
The footage shows one person being stabbed in the leg and a police officer getting cut in the neck while trying to intervene. Another officer then shoots the attacker.
The identity and motives of the attacker remain unknown, and police have yet to provide details about any injuries among the demonstrators.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, from the center-left Social Democrats, expressed her concern for the injured officer, describing the injuries as serious. “If investigations reveal an Islamist motive, it would confirm the significant threat posed by Islamist violence, which we have been warning about,” she said on social media. Chancellor Olaf Scholz also called for severe punishment for the attacker.
The incident occurred during a live stream from central Mannheim, showing Stuerzenberger preparing to speak. The footage bore a watermark linked to his Open Eyes anti-Islam campaign tour.
This violent event comes during the final stages of a European parliament campaign, with the far-right Alternative for Germany party (AfD) focusing partly on the perceived dangers of migration from Muslim countries.
Stuerzenberger, 59, describes himself as an Islam-critical journalist and has been involved with several far-right anti-Islam groups, including the PEGIDA movement, which regularly holds marches in eastern Germany.
Police stated that there was no longer any immediate danger to the public following Friday’s incident.
