A knifeman stabbed several bystanders and a police officer at a political rally in Germany in a frenzied attack that was livestreamed on YouTube this morning.
The shocking spree unfolded in the city of Mannheim where anti-Islamist campaigner Michael Stuerzenberger was speaking at an event of the Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa (BPE) – a group that advocates against the ‘Islamisation’ of Europe.
Chaos broke out at the event when a man dressed in a dark hooded jacket, green shirt and tracksuit bottoms tackled a victim – believed to be Stuerzenberger – to the ground and violently swung a large blade at him, prompting terrified screams from onlookers.
Other BPE members sprinted over and tried to drag the knifeman away, but the would-be killer wriggled free and dove on top of the bloodied victim to plunge the weapon in for a second time.
Police descended on the scene almost immediately – but not before the attacker had left two people lying on the floor, blood pooling on the cobblestones.
One officer waded in and tried to stem the flow of blood from one of the victims, but the bloodthirsty aggressor circled behind him and rammed his blade into the policeman’s neck.
His colleagues were heard screaming ‘throw the knife away!’ – but with the knifeman not responding to any orders the officers opened fire from near point blank range and sent him crashing to the ground.
Chaos broke out at the event when a man dressed in a dark hooded jacket and tracksuit tackled a BPE member to the ground and began violently swinging a large blade at him
The bespectacled and bearded attacker is clearly seen holding a blade several inches long
The man believed to be Stuerzenberger (right) tumbles to the ground following the initial attack as other BPE members push the knifeman away
But the attacker broke free and turned his blade on other bystanders, including a police officer
Blood smears are seen on the floor as the knifeman rounds on another victim
Bystanders attempt to drag the knifeman away. One of his victims is seen with wounds to his thigh
The savage blade is clearly seen in this grab from the YouTube live stream
The shocking spree unfolded in the city of Mannheim where anti-Islamist campaigner Michael Stuerzenberger was speaking at an event of the Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa (BPE). Stuerzenberger is seen in an Instagram post linking to the YouTube livestream moments before the attack
The horrific attack was captured in its entirety by a cameraman who was livestreaming the event on the BPE’s YouTube page.
The stream has since been taken down but it concluded with paramedics arriving on scene to administer vital first aid to at least three victims who had collapsed to the floor.
Mannheim Police offered a brief statement online in the wake of the attack but gave no information on the condition of the attacker or his victims.
‘There is currently a major police operation on the market square in Mannheim. A rescue helicopter is also in use. No further information can be given at this time,’ the statement read.
It was evident well before the attack that Stuerzenberger, 59, was aware violence could break out.
Speaking at the rally on livestream before he was set upon by his attacker, the activist was heard explaining how the event would ‘de-escalate’ if there was a prospect things could turn violent.
‘We want to first see if we can manage a sensible discussion as always, of course we will de-escalate if it gets heated.
‘There was a staunch Muslim there earlier who was pretty agitated and he shouted, ”you don’t belong here you are worse than the AfD”…
‘We still have democracy here, we have freedom we have our basic laws, our values and that is what we have to defend,’ he said, referencing the professed desire of some hardline Islamic groups in Germany who have advocated for the introduction of Sharia law in their districts.
Islam and immigration have become contentious issues in Germany in recent months, particularly amid the rising popularity of right-wing political entities, primarily the ‘Alternative for Germany’ (AfD) party.
The knifeman did not respond to officers’ orders and was shot at near point-blank range
A bystander attends to one of the knifeman’s victims
Police officers flooded the scene checking on the victims and the attacker who was shot and collapsed to the ground
Germany has been a major destination for refugees, especially since 2015 when Chancellor Angela Merkel – who famously declared in 2017 that Islam was ‘not the source of terrorism’ – opened the country’s borders to over a million asylum seekers.
The move was highly divisive, praised by many liberal commentators as a morally just, humanitarian policy but slammed as dangerous and short-sighted by more conservative mouthpieces.
It also fuelled the growth of anti-immigration groups like the BPE, which was founded in 2008, and Pegida, an organisation founded in Dresden in 2014 to protest what its members saw as the failure of government to counter the arrival and influence of Islam in Germany.
But the influx of migrants and a rise in the number of incidents involving refugees have triggered more intense debate as of late.
The AfD has capitalised on these concerns and made anti-Islam and anti-immigration messages the cornerstone of its campaigns.
In 2017, the party’s founder, Alexander Gauland, explicitly vowed to fight an ‘invasion of foreigners’ and was lambasted by more centrist and leftist commentators.
But the party’s popularity has grown rapidly – the AfD enjoyed significant success in Germany’s state elections in October, winning its biggest-ever share of votes in the powerful state of Hesse and gaining a significant portion of votes in Bavaria.
Islam is currently the second largest religion in Germany after Christianity, with between 3 million and 4.7 million adherents according to most estimates.
In 2017, Pew Research Centre predicted that as much as 20 per cent of the population in Germany could be Muslim by 2050 if immigration continues apace.
Changing demographics and the introduction of new values has been a source of anxiety for some living in Germany. A study by the Criminal Research Institute of Lower Saxony found that 67.8 per cent of surveyed students believe that the Qur’an is ‘more important’ than the laws in Germany.
Nearly half of them (45.6 per cent) think that ‘Islamic Theocracy is the best form of government’.
And more than a third (35.3 per cent) said that they can understand violence against people who insult Allah or the prophet Mohammed.