Color attack on Leipzig politicians: attacks on democracy are increasing!

Color attack on Leipzig politicians: attacks on democracy are increasing!

Leipzig, Deutschland - Sören Pellmann, the left-wing politician from Leipzig, again became the goal of a color stop. Unknowns sprayed the words "away with the red plague" on the windows of his constituency office. This is done at a time when Pellmann has already won a direct mandate in the Bundestag election for the third time in a row. With regard to this incident, Pellmann said that attacks on his constituency office were not foreign to him. Many such attacks had already been in the local and state election campaign of the past year, accompanied by numerous threats and property damage. He sees a clear increase in violent attacks on politicians and a worrying brutalization of the political debate.

Special feature of the current situation is that violence against campaigners not only affects Pellmann, but also represents a widespread phenomenon. According to bpb.de , this violence has increased with regard to the upcoming elections in 2024. Since the start of the election campaign, there have been several documented attacks, including attacks on members of the SPD in Berlin or the destruction of an information stand by Bündnis 90/The Greens in Munich. These incidents are in a growing trend that can also be observed in the current Bundestag election campaign.

increase in politically motivated crimes

The statistics show an alarming increase in politically motivated crimes. In 2023 there was a 29%increase in around 5,400 such cases, mainly insults, coercion, propagandaeles and property damage. The Greens were particularly affected with 1,219 registered cases. In the first half of 2024, 740 crimes against the Greens were already recorded.

The attacks mentioned by Pellmann fall into a context in which experts warn of a brutalization of political culture. Various parties, including SPD, CDU/CSU, Greens, FDP and the left, have signed a fairness agreement to improve the framework conditions for a respectful election campaign. In addition, a draft law is currently being discussed in the Federal Council that is intended to improve the criminal protection of official and mandate providers, but it remains unclear whether these draft laws will be passed before the new elections at the end of February 2025.

politically motivated crime at an overview

In addition to the attacks and violent acts, the BKA-statistics that politically motivated crime (PMK) continues to play an important role in Germany. In the PMK area on the right there was an increase of 23.21% to 28,945 cases; Propagandaelics make up a large part of these. At the same time, a decline in politically motivated acts of violence was shown by 11.92%, but it should be noted that almost half of all reported acts of violence are particularly noted on the right.

The decline in other PMK cases does not offer any reason for the all-clear, since hate crime, which has risen by 50%, and anti-Semitic crimes that have increased by 95.53% continue to represent pressing challenges. Against the background of these developments, it remains to be seen how the security authorities can react to the persistently high dynamics within the politically motivated crime.

In view of these facts, it is undisputed that the political landscape in Germany is under increasing pressure, which is characterized by aggressive election campaigns and a general brutalization of the political discourse. Pellmann and his party colleagues are faced with the challenge of asserting themselves against these attacks and yet to stand up for an open debate.