The suspect approached Franziska Giffey from behind at the library Tuesday afternoon, hit her in the head and neck and fled, police said in a statement.
Giffey, who is now Berlin’s state economy minister and belongs to Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SDP), is being treated in hospital for minor injuries.
She said she “feels good after the initial scare” but is “concerned and appalled by the growing ‘free savage culture’ in our country where politically engaged people are increasingly the victims of attacks that appear to be justified and acceptable.”
“We live in a free and democratic country where everyone can freely express their opinion,” F. Giffey wrote on the X social network.
“But there is a clear line – violence against people,” she wrote.
Chancellor O. Scholz condemned the recent attacks on politicians in Germany, including the former mayor of Berlin.
“The attacks on Francis Giffey and other politicians are outrageous and cowardly,” wrote O. Scholz in X.
He added that politicians deserve respect.
Berlin’s current mayor, Kai Wegner, said that anyone who attacks politicians is “attacking our democracy”.
“We will not tolerate this,” he added, vowing to explore options for “tougher penalties for attacks on politicians.”
Nazi salute
Last week in Dresden, in East Germany, four unknown assailants beat MEP Matthias Ecke, a member of the SPD, while he was putting up posters for the European Parliament elections.
Mr Ecke, 41, required surgery after the attack, his party said. German Chancellor O. Scholz condemned this attack as a threat to democracy.
Four persons aged 17-18 are suspected of the attack. The investigation is ongoing.
All four are believed to be linked to the far-right group Elblandrevolte, according to German media.
A series of attacks against politicians was recorded in Dresden. Another incident was reported on Tuesday.
The politician, identified by police only as the 47-year-old Green Party representative, was first threatened and then spat on.
While the politician was putting up EP election campaign posters, a man approached her, pushed her aside and tore off two posters.
The man insulted and threatened the politician, then a woman joined him and spat on the victim, the police said.
Police said both suspects were arrested and identified as a 34-year-old German man and a 24-year-old girl.
These persons were lying in wait together with a group of other people near the incident site. As the politicians began putting up posters, they displayed the banned Nazi salute.
According to preliminary police figures, 2,790 crimes were committed against politicians in Germany in 2023, up from 1,806 the previous year. However, this was down from the 2,840 crimes recorded in 2021, the year of the last general election.
