A right-wing anti-Islamist politician was stabbed in Germany on Friday just as French authorities revealed the arrest of an 18-year-old man who allegedly planned to attack soccer matches during the upcoming Olympic games in France.
What happened: The incident occurred in the southwest German city of Mannheim at a rally for the Citizens' Movement Pax Europa, a group that says it fights Islamization. In a video that was widely shared on social media, a knife-wielding man appears to stab someone before he is brought to the ground by bystanders. He then gets up and appears to stab a police officer before being shot by another.
Police said at least 6 people were injured in the attack, including a police officer and the assailant. The assailant was then apprehended. The motive was not immediately clear, according to Germany’s public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.
Pax Europa said one of its members, 59-year-old Michael Sturzenberger, was injured in the attack, DW reported. Sturzenberger is regularly described by European media outlets as a far-right critic of Islamism.
Why it matters: The incident comes at a time of significant tensions in Germany over immigration, including from the Muslim world. Earlier this month, a video went viral showing a group of people on the North Sea island Sylt chanting, “Germany for the Germans, foreigners out,” prompting outrage. The far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is gaining popularity and looking to make gains in next week’s European Union elections.
AfD accounts posted on X on Friday about the attack in Mannheim, as did several anti-Islamist politicians elsewhere in Europe, including the United Kingdom’s Tommy Robinson and France’s Eric Zemmour.
German authorities arrested a group of teenagers they accused of plotting an “Islamist-motivated” attack in April, one of several related incidents in Europe this year. Germany is also experiencing a rise in Islamophobic and antisemitic sentiment in relation to the Gaza war.
Relatedly, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a statement on Friday that authorities had arrested an 18-year-old man from Chechnya on May 22 who allegedly planned to attack soccer matches during the upcoming Olympic games in France. In an article the minister shared on X, the French broadcaster BFM TV reported that the individual was suspected of wanting to commit an "Islamist-inspired" attack. The tournament is expected to start on July 26.
