Michael Stürzenberger, a well-known critic of Islam, was the target of a knife attack that took place at noon in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, during a political event. The politician was seriously injured, while the policeman is hospitalized in a critical condition who, in trying to immobilize the assailant, was stabbed twice, in the neck and in the back. At least four other people who were at the scene were slightly injured, as well as the perpetrator, who was shot by the police. The chancellor and the entire political world declares shocked.

As seen in the videos released on social media, during an open political event of the movement Pax Europa in Mannheim’s central square, a man with a beard and glasses attacked Michael Sturchenberger with a knife and wounded him in the leg and face. The 59-year-old politician has been undergoing surgery for hours. According to Stephanie Kitsina, also an executive of “Pax Europa”, Mr. Sturchenberger had been attacked in the past, when, in 2022, a Muslim punched him in the face.

At the point of attack police forces were already there to guard the gathering and it only took a few seconds for them to intervene. Initially, a private security man of the organizers tried to immobilize the perpetrator, while at least four police officers soon took action. One of them was stabbed twice by the assailant, who escaped for a moment, only to be stopped by another police officer, who used his weapon. The identity of the assailant remains unknown and Mannheim police are appealing to anyone who knows anything to come forward.

Michael Sturchenberger is a well-known figure in Germany’s Islamophobic scene. He was a spokesman for the Bavarian Christian Social Union (CSU) and then president of the far-right party “Eleftheria”, which has since been dissolved. From 2013 to 2022 he was monitored by the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution due to his Islamophobic rhetoric. The 59-year-old has been convicted twice, for insulting the police and for inciting hatred and belittling religious teachings. He is a regular columnist for the Islamophobic blog “Politically Incorrect” and an activist for the Movement of Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West (Pegida). At today’s event in Mannheim, banners and posters with slogans such as “Stop political Islam!” and “Political Islam threatens democracy, freedom, security and human rights”, while there was also an Israeli flag.

The chancellor Olaf Solz he said he was shocked by the attack and, in his post on the “X” platform, he spoke of “terrifying images”. “My thoughts are with the victims. Violence is absolutely unacceptable in our democracy. The perpetrator must be severely punished,” the chancellor added. In the same vein, Secretary of the Interior Nancy Feser expressed her sympathy for those injured in the attack and noted that her thoughts are especially with the injured police officer. “I want to thank the police forces who intervened immediately and the doctors and paramedics who are fighting to save the lives of the victims of this terrible act. The investigation will clarify the history of this crime, particularly the history and motivations of the perpetrator. If the investigation reveals an Islamist motive, then it will be a reaffirmation of the great risk of Islamist acts of violence, which we have warned about,” Ms Fezer told BILD.

Today’s attack is perhaps the most serious in a series of attacks on politicians that have taken place in recent weeks. Politicians from almost all sides of the political spectrum are increasingly the target of violent attacks during public appearances. The phenomenon causes great concern to the government, which even held an emergency meeting with the state governments to take additional measures ahead of the June 9 European elections. The Police, for its part, complains, as it points out that it does not have enough personnel to guard every political event.