A Senegal-born German MP reported bullet holes in the window of one of his offices. The incident is just one of several incidents targeting German politicians that police suspect are linked to far-right groups.

Karamba Diaby, Germany's only black MP, is part of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD). He tweeted on 15 January that: "An office window with my likeness on it had several bullet holes."

Police in Halle, where the incident took place, have started an inquiry. Investigators suspect that an "air-soft" gun was used. The police did not find bullets at the scene and the holes did not penetrate the double-glazed window.

Police have not stated a suspected motivation for the incident. 

 

Violence against German politicians 

Police figures have shown an increase in attacks against politicians in Germany over the past year. Some of the incidents are suspected to be the actions of far-right groups.

Saxony and Thuringia, neighboring states to Saxony-Anhalt, reported an increase in the number of incidents last year, from 101 to 197 attacks. In addition, several German mayors have resigned after receiving death threats. 

One mayor in state of North Rhine-Westphalia applied for a licence to carry a gun for self-protection. And last year, Walter Luebcke, a pro-migrant German politician, was shot and killed while he was at home.

A far-right militant, Stephan Ernst, originally confessed to the murder but has recently retracted his confession. The trial is still ongoing.

 

Support for Diaby 

Diaby became a German MP in 2013. He has previously spoken about the racism he experienced in Germany after he moved to the country in the 1980s, including an attack by neo-Nazis.

Several politicians have expressed their support for Diaby on Twitter. Heiko Maas, Germany's minister of foreign affairs, said: "[The attack is] disgusting and cowardly … We will continue to stand by your side for a free, tolerant and diverse democracy. Now, more than ever!"

Reiner Haseloff, the minister president of Saxony-Anhalt, released a statement in which he condemned the incident, saying: "Saxony-Anhalt is and remains a cosmopolitan country in which there is no place for intimidation, violence and agitation and in which the majority of the citizens defend the democratic values."

Halle was also the site of an anti-Semitic shooting at a synagogue in October 2019, in which two people were killed and several more injured.