What does the Munich attack mean for the upcoming German election?
An estimated 28 people have been injured in an attack just 10 days before the German general election, putting the country’s immigration debate centre stage as it grapples with the rise of right wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD).
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In brief:
- A car attack occurred in Munich today (February 13) when a man, believed to be an Afghan asylum seeker drove into a crowd at a trade union rally, injuring 28 people.
- The attack occurred days before a significant German general election, where immigration and integration are major political issues. This follows Angela Merkel's 2015 decision to allow over a million asylum seekers into Germany.
- The far-right AfD party has been gaining prominence, with traditional political barriers breaking down as mainstream parties like the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) begin working with them on immigration policies.
What’s the story?
It’s every city’s worst nightmare - an attack on innocent civilians going about their business.
But it’s what Munich faced earlier today (13 February) when a car drove into a group of people, including children, at a trade union rally, injuring 28 people, some seriously.
German police say the person driving the car - a white Mini Cooper - is believed to be a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker who was known to them for theft and drug offences.
He has, after police shot a bullet at the car he was driving, been arrested.
Bavarian Minister President Markus Söder, from the CSU (Christian Social Union) party, has said the incident is suspected to be an attack, and that “something has got to change in Germany”.
The incident is shocking and tragic for Germany and the world, but unfortunately, it is not new.
In 2016, 13 people were killed when a Tunisian man drove a truck into a Christmas market in Berlin, he was a failed asylum seeker and has been a known threat.
There were also a string of attacks last year, the deadliest in December when another Christmas market was attacked, by a man who held extreme right-wing beliefs, this time in the city of Magdeburg, killing six people and injuring 300.
The latest attack comes just 10 days before the German general election, one Lewis Goodall says will be “the most significant election Germany has had for decades.”
Why is this upcoming German election significant?
In 2015, when Syria was grappling with a civil war and it’s population was suffering, then-Chancellor Angela Merkel decided to allow over a million asylum seekers across the border into Germany,
Fast-forward to present day, and this has become one of the biggest political issues of the upcoming German election.
When Söder says that “something has got to change,” some people will think he’s talking about law enforcement. Others, Emily says, will “hear something that will chime with the voice, perhaps even the policies, perhaps even the determination of the AfD, to really cut down on immigration and Germany's response to foreigners.”
AfD is a far-right, populist political party in Germany which is Eurosceptic, anti-immigration and supports closer relations with Russia.
They were founded in 2013 and over the years, as the country’s discontent with immigration numbers grew, so did their popularity. In the 2017 national election, the radical party won 12.6% of the vote and took seats in the German parliament for the first time.
With Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s centre-left government collapsing, and with the next general election round the corner, the big question is how AfD will perform in it.
What’s The News Agents’ take?
“There is such a sense of instability in Germany right now,” Jon Sopel says.
“All of the attacks underline the sense of insecurity and lack of safety on the streets that has been an enormous recruiting sergeant for the AfD.”
“Such attacks are used by the far right, within the parameters of the law, to say ‘look at the extremism that's being created by having all these immigrants in the country’.
Lewis says there has been a lot of “soul searching” within the political classes of Germany as of late, especially on the right of politics, about the extent to which any party would work with AfD, particularly given Germany’s history.
“Historically, for obvious reasons, there has been a complete iron wall around the AfD. All the mainstream parties just would not work with them.”
But this is changing, with Friedrich Mertz, Chancellor candidate for the CDU (Christian Democratic Union) deciding to vote with the AfD on a series of motions and measures designed to crack down on immigration
The move was criticised by Angela Merkel who said she could not remain silent as the CDU allowed an anti immigration motion to pass with the support of the AfD.
Merkel, Jon says, is speaking out as she wants to make sure her “legacy isn’t rewritten”.
“She wanted to reinvent and reinvigorate Germany as this place of compassion” Emily Maitlis remembers.
“Now we are, I suppose, post-compassion when it comes to immigration.
“She's popping back to say: ‘Don't be that person, don't slip into that role’.”