A 74-year-old man was arrested Wednesday afternoon in connection with the attack on former Berlin mayor and current state finance senator Franziska Giffay, which left her with minor head and neck injuries.

The arrested person was already known to the authorities, as in the past he sent insulting letters to politicians, while he was a denier of the state. The night before yesterday, during a visit by Ms. Gifai to a library in the Neukeln district of Berlin, he hit her from behind with a heavy object he was carrying in a backpack and ran away. The senator was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for a few hours and then left, continuing her meeting schedule. “After the first shock, I can say that I am fine. I continue my work undaunted today,” Ms Gifai announced via X.

As mayor, Francesca Gifai was escorted to her public appearances by police officers, but not after becoming a senator.

As of yesterday, she is again being protected by the Anti-Crime Service.

Ms Gifai’s injury added to a series of attacks on politicians in Germany recently.

Just yesterday Tuesday, the Greens’ candidate for the city council in Dresden, Yvonne Mosler, was attacked by a group of far-right extremists, who spat on and groped her – while she was accompanied by a TV crew, as part of an interview about… violence against politicians.

Last night, Finance Minister Christian Lindner was forced to interrupt a speech at the Digital Festival in Hamburg when a smell bomb was detonated in the event hall. The hall was evacuated and a special health service finally described the gas released in the area as harmless to health. The police are looking for the perpetrator.

Last Friday the MEP of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) Matias Eke was violently attacked by four members of a far-right group in Dresden, during a placard for the European elections. The Social Democrat MEP was severely beaten, suffered facial fractures and underwent surgery. A 17-year-old man surrendered and confessed to the authorities, and shortly after, three more youths were identified for the same incident.

On Tuesday night, federal interior minister Nancy Feser held an emergency meeting with state interior ministers to discuss measures to protect politicians from the growing violence against them. “Violent perpetrators are arsonists who want to set fire to our democracy,” Ms Feser commented.