Brutal attack on Bad Freienwalde: diversity in danger!

Brutal attack on Bad Freienwalde: diversity in danger!

Last Sunday there was a brutal attack in Bad Freienwalde on participants in the diversity festival, which stands for colorful togetherness and against right-wing populism. How coolis.de Reportedly, between 10 and 15 masked attackers were visible. Some of them were armed and attacked the event participants, with Heino Krummholz being injured in the face by punches. Despite the presence of the police, who were on site with three radio patrol cars, the officers were unable to intervene in time. The perpetrators escaped undetected.

The political motivation behind this attack is assessed by the investigators as “quite obvious”. The investigation has now been assigned to the state security agency. The brutal incident, which made national headlines, is not the first of its kind in the region. Even before the festival, posters were stolen, which indicates the increasing aggressiveness of such right-wing extremist attacks. Loud rbb24.de There is immense concern about a growing willingness to use violence among right-wing extremists. Brandenburg's Interior Minister René Wilke condemned the attack and held talks with those affected and the police to better understand the situation.

An expression of violence and intolerance

The mayor of Bad Freienwalde, Alf Lehmann, described the attack as a disruption, while the organizers of the festival see the incident as a new dimension of violence. Judith Strohm, one of the organizers, called for more civic engagement and a precise risk assessment by the police. The incident is part of a larger trend: the number of right-wing extremist crimes recorded an alarming increase of 40% last year, as a current analysis by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution shows. This shows that the potential for violent right-wing extremists will have increased to 15,300 in 2024, which expresses the urgency of taking consistent action against such attacks.

In particular, attacks on the LGBTIQ community have increased significantly. You can't look away from that. Attacks like this one on the diversity festival make it clear that right-wing extremist groups continue to try to suppress queer life in Brandenburg and beyond. Like from the Reports from ZDF As can be seen, hostilities against the rainbow flag are also becoming increasingly visible, and the incident is one of a number of recent events, such as the lighting of a rainbow flag in Dallgow-Döberitz.

Solidarity with those affected

Despite the violence, the “Bad Freienwalde is colorful” alliance is unimpressed and does not want to be intimidated. It is emphasized that society must defend itself against these attacks. At a time when a strong civic backbone is needed despite increasing violence against queer people, the situation surrounding the festival and similar attacks requires a broad social reaction.

The question of why this attack occurred remains open for the time being, but those involved agree: it cannot continue like this. AfD chairman René Springer has also called for a complete investigation and condemned violence. But the place has developed significantly in the past in a direction that is known as a meeting place for the right-wing scene, with over 40% of Bad Freienwalders voting for the AfD in the last federal election.

In the face of these developments, it remains important not only to be vigilant, but also to act actively. This is the only way to prevent peaceful coexistence from becoming a dangerous target for right-wing extremist attackers.