Getty Images“I still feel bad,” Eidwicht said as she stood at the Christmas market near where the car sped past on Friday, killing five people and injuring more than two hundred others.
“My granddaughter was here. I called them because my daughter told me something happened here. And she didn’t respond for two hours.”
There is deep sadness here – and the anger is directed against the government and the migrants. “It can’t continue like this,” said Eidwicht.
A Saudi refugee, aged 50, was arrested over the attack, but the motive is unknown.
Officials say Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen was an “unusual” attacker. Germany’s Christmas markets and festivals have been attacked before, particularly by extreme Islamists.
He has been described as critical of Islam and has also expressed support for the far-right Alternative for Germany party on social media. He praised the party for fighting the same enemy as him “to protect Germany.”
The AfD has not commented on these contributions – and the party is planning a funeral procession in Magdeburg later on Monday, in which federal party leader Alice Weidel will take part.
Her party is currently high in opinion polls ahead of the federal election on February 23, particularly in states such as Saxony-Anhalt in the former GDR.
This attack brought two major election issues to the forefront: security and immigration, and AfD officials have highlighted both since the attack.
Despite the suspect’s numerous Islamophobic statements, the AfD leader in Saxony-Anhalt, Martin Reichardt, said in a statement: “The attack in Magdeburg shows that Germany is being drawn into a political and religious fanaticism that has its origins in another world. “ “.
In a post on !”
ReutersThere will also be a counter-demonstration and anti-racism groups in Magdeburg accuse the AfD of exploiting the attack.
David Begrich from Miteinander eV said the people in the city needed a chance to breathe deeply.
“There is a lot of concern in migrant communities about being scapegoated,” he said. “We don’t want that. We want to organize social solidarity, but at the same time we are sensitive to the voices of those who are now reacting with fear and uncertainty.”
The Germans are wondering how the attack could have happened when increased security measures were already in place at Christmas markets and the authorities had clearly investigated the suspect several times in recent years.
According to one assessment, the threat he posed was considered “too unspecific,” while a tip against him in September 2023 apparently went unreported.
In another apparent safety failure, the driver also managed to get through a gap that had been left open for emergency access when it should have been filled by a police car.
Christmas market stallholders are now allowed to throw away old food and remove their equipment and supplies.
Nobody I approached wanted to speak to the BBC. It’s all too raw.
There has also been hostility towards journalists in recent days, particularly after around 2,000 people joined a far-right protest in Magdeburg on Saturday evening.
The Association of German Journalists said there had been aggression and threats against the press and called for more police protection.
The BBC team joined mourners gathered in Cathedral Square to livestream the vigil for victims of the attack, and many who spoke to them said it was important to show solidarity at a time of terrible need.
One woman, however, was cautious. There are “some Nazis here who don’t like journalists,” she said. “Please be careful.”
