AfD MP hospitalised. Attempted murder.

h4rm0ny · 8 Jan 2019 at 11:08

There's a pretty graphic image in the RT.com story so I'm posting the BBC article in this which crops the photo slightly even though I don't consider the BBC's reporting to be as fair on this.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46792556

AfD MP was attacked by three masked assailants and is currently in hospital in a serious condition. Having read the details and seen the image, this is unquestionably attempted murder / assassination. He's likely only alive because a nearby construction worker intervened.

h4rm0ny · 8 Jan 2019 at 11:20

BowdonUK said:
There seems to be an escalation of attacks of the AfD recently. It was only last week I was reading that a bomb was detonated outside one of their regional offices and the police were concerned because someone could have died.

Correct. It smashed up the front of the office and damaged two vans parked outside, and also started a fire, but nobody appears to have been caught in the blast. Three men were arrested but then released due to lack of evidence. No further arrests for it so far as I could find.

h4rm0ny · 8 Jan 2019 at 12:36

Raz said:
Hopefully?

It means 'a desirable outcome'.

h4rm0ny · 8 Jan 2019 at 12:47

Raz said:
Oh, I see. Many thanks for your helpful post, an easy +1 post count increase.

Because your post added so much information to the thread? Clearly robfosters thinks it would be positive for AfD to do well. That wasn't hard to discern. A constructive reply from you would have been to say why that is or isn't the case. Not a snippy expression of mock disbelief that someone should say such a thing.

h4rm0ny · 8 Jan 2019 at 12:55

VincentHanna said:
Where has anybody here said it was good thing?

Neither the words nor the meaning "good thing" appear anywhere in robfosters post and you know it.

h4rm0ny · 8 Jan 2019 at 13:08

Raz said:
Yes, you're right. My excuse is that I was using one hand at that point while on the phone.

But yes it was mock disbelief that someone would want a nationalist political party that has views linked to homophobia, anti-Semitism, racism amongst other things. I'd mention Islamophobia but using that word here is just another headache (and I don't think that it's an accurate term anyway).

I consider that a much more interesting response.

One thing I'd say is that I don't expect AfD to ever gain power. However, their recent wins DOES put pressure on the main parties to acknowledge and respond to the widespread disagreement amongst German people with their policies. This I think IS a positive. Germany's PR system forces the government to consider their position and I think regardless of whether there are some reprehensible supporters (which all parties have), this can be a positive course-correction for Germany.

As a side, I'd also observe that the recent sharp rise in anti-Semitism in Germany is generally attributed to the increase in Islamic immigration to that country.

h4rm0ny · 9 Jan 2019 at 15:46

Mr Jack said:
The Bremen prosecutor is ruling out a political motive for the attack, believing it to be likely a robbery (link in German, sorry).

I guess those of us who assumed too much too soon have egg on our faces.

I could understand saying there is insufficient evidence for it being politically motivated, but I don't see how they can rule it out. I mean, it's not like there haven't been politically motivated attacks on AfD recently - their offices were bombed only the other week and there are more than a few people who would approve of this.

As to "no weapon", I've had the misfortune of seeing the photograph. You don't do that with a fist or a boot. Conceivably he could have fallen or been shoved into something sharp headfirst, but frankly, looks like he was struck with a weapon of some sort to me.