Magdeburg attack creates fertile ground for AfD despite party support from suspect

“I feel bad, I still do,” said Eidwicht as she stood at a Christmas market near where a car drove through on Friday, killing five people and injuring more than two hundred.

“My granddaughter was here. I called her because my daughter said that something happened here. And she didn’t answer for two hours.”

There is deep sadness – and anger directed at the government and the migrants. “It can’t go on like this,” said Eidvicht.

A Saudi refugee in his 50s was arrested for the attack, but the motive is unknown.

Officials say Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen was an “atypical” attacker. Christmas markets and festivals in Germany have been attacked before, mainly by extremist Islamists.

He has been described as critical of Islam and has also expressed support on social media for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, hailing the party for fighting the same enemy as him “to protect Germany”.

The AfD has not commented on the reports – and the party is planning a mourning procession in Magdeburg later on Monday with national party leader Alice Weidel in attendance.

Her party is currently riding high in opinion polls ahead of federal elections on February 23, particularly in states such as Saxony-Anhalt in the former East Germany.

The attack brought to the fore the two big issues of the election, security and immigration, and the AfD’s numbers after the attack highlighted both.

Despite the suspect’s numerous statements expressing hostility to Islam, the head of the AfD in Saxony-Anhalt, Martin Reichardt, said in a statement that “the attack in Magdeburg shows that Germany is getting involved in political and religious fanaticism that originates in another world. “.

In a message on X, Weidel said the government’s discussion of new security laws after the attack “should not distract from the fact that Magdeburg would not have been possible without uncontrolled immigration. The state must protect its citizens through restrictive migration policies and consistent deportations. !”

There will also be a counter-demonstration, and anti-racist groups in Magdeburg have accused the AfD of using the attack.

David Begrich of Miteinander eV said people in the city needed a chance to catch their breath.

“There is great concern in migrant communities that they will be scapegoated,” he said. “We don’t want that. We want to organize solidarity across society, but at the same time we are also sensitive to the voices of those who are now reacting with fear and uncertainty.”

Germans are asking how the attack could have happened when security measures were already tightened at Christmas markets and when authorities have checked the suspect several times in recent years.

According to one assessment, the threat he posed was considered “too vague”, while one tip against him in September 2023 appears to have been exaggerated.

In another apparent safety lapse, the driver was also able to squeeze through a gap that had been left open for emergency access when a police van had to fill it.

Stallholders at the Christmas market are now allowed to return, throw out old food and clean up their equipment and stock.

No one I contacted wanted to talk to the BBC. It’s all too raw.

The last few days have also seen hostility towards journalists, especially after around 2,000 people joined a far-right protest in Magdeburg on Saturday night.

The Association of German Journalists reported aggression and threats against the press and called for stronger police protection.

A BBC team joined mourners gathered in Cathedral Square to live-broadcast a service for the victims of the attack, and many of those who spoke to them said it was important to show solidarity during a terrible disaster.

But one woman made a warning. “There are some Nazis here who don’t like journalists,” she said. “Please be careful.”