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Getty Images“I feel bad, I still do,” Eidwicht said as he stood at a Christmas market near where the car crashed Friday, killing five people and injuring more than two hundred others.
“My granddaughter was here. I called her because my daughter said something happened here. And he didn’t answer me for two hours.
There is deep sadness here – and anger directed at the government and the migrants. “It can’t go on like this,” said Eidwich.
A Saudi refugee in his 50s has been 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 as fighting the same enemy as him “to defend Germany”.
The AfD has not commented on these posts. The party held a rally in Magdeburg later on Monday, where one of the leaders, Alice Weidel, called for change “so that we can finally live in security again”. The crowd responded with calls to “deport them,” according to news agencies.
Her party is currently high in opinion polls ahead of federal elections on February 23, particularly in states such as Saxony-Anhalt in the former East Germany.
This attack brought to the fore two big issues of the election, security and immigration, and AfD numbers highlighted both after the attack.
Despite the suspect’s many 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 involved in political and religious fanaticism that originates from another world “.
In an X post, Weidel said the government’s discussion of new security laws after the attack “must not distract from the fact that Magdeburg would not be possible without uncontrolled immigration. The state must protect its citizens through a restrictive migration policy and consistent deportations!” “
ReutersA counter-demonstration also took place, with anti-racism groups accusing the AfD of profiting from the attack.
David Begrich of Miteinander eV said that people in the city need a chance to catch their breath.
“There is a great concern in migrant communities not to be made a scapegoat,” he said. “We don’t want that. We want to organize solidarity in society, but at the same time we are sensitive to the voices of those who are now reacting with fear and uncertainty.”
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for national unity, saying “a dark shadow has loomed over this Christmas”.
“Hate and violence must not have the last word. Let us not be divided. Let us be together!” he said.
Germans are questioning how the attack could have happened when security at Christmas markets was already heightened and authorities have investigated the suspect several times in recent years.
The threat he posed was considered “too vague” according to one assessment, while an alert against him in September 2023. seems to have fallen through the cracks.
In another apparent security lapse, the driver also managed to drive through a gap that had been left open for emergency access when it had to be filled by a police van.
Christmas market stall owners are now allowed to return, throw away old food and remove their equipment and stock.
No one I contacted was willing to speak to the BBC. Everything is too harsh.
There has also been hostility towards journalists in the past few days, particularly after around 2,000 people joined a far-right protest in Magdeburg on Saturday night.
The Association of German Journalists said there had been aggression and threats against the press and called for greater police protection.
The BBC team joined mourners gathered in Cathedral Square for live coverage of the vigil for the victims of the attack and many who spoke to them said it was important to show solidarity at a time of terrible disaster.
But one woman sounded a note of caution. There are “some Nazis here who don’t like journalists,” she said. “Please be careful.”
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