Berlin, August 20 – A month before Berlin’s Abgeordnetenhaus election on September 20, incidents of damaged election posters and attacks on campaign workers are increasing, according to new figures released by Berlin police at the request of the German Press Agency (dpa).
As of August 17, a total of 227 reported cases of property damage to election posters from various parties have been registered. Of these, 117 incidents specifically targeted posters of the AfD. Following the AfD, the CDU reported 33 cases, the SPD 23, the Left Party 18, and the FDP 16. Alliance 90/The Greens reported 7 incidents, the BSW 5, and Volt 3, making it the least affected party. Five additional cases could not be attributed to any specific party by investigators.
Violence and Insults Also Registered
Police reports indicate that posters were torn down, plastered over, defaced, and in some instances, even set on fire. Investigators have not identified any specific patterns or typical forms of these acts of vandalism. “Currently, no specific patterns or typical forms of attacks are discernible,” the police stated.
Furthermore, authorities have recorded six cases of violent offenses against politicians or their representatives. According to police, the AfD was affected in five of these cases, and the Left Party in one. Additionally, there have been eight reported instances of campaigners being insulted. Three of these cases involved the AfD, two involved Alliance 90/The Greens, two involved the Left Party, and one involved the SPD.
Attacks on Campaign Workers Highlighted
Just last weekend, a 57-year-old man reportedly insulted an AfD staff member at a campaign stand on Schönhauser Allee in Prenzlauer Berg. An AfD employee also filed a complaint, alleging that a 41-year-old man had held her arm and torn up the party’s information materials, according to police.
The Left Party also reported an attack on three campaign workers in the Allende Quarter in Köpenick. While putting up election posters, they were allegedly insulted, threatened, and attacked by two men. One of the staff members sustained injuries, and election posters were damaged. The party expects “consistent work from the investigative authorities to ensure the perpetrators are identified and held accountable.”
On September 20, Berlin residents will vote for the Abgeordnetenhaus and the 12 district assemblies (BVV). The rising incidents of vandalism and aggression underscore the heated political climate leading up to the elections.
