Florists in Chemnitz Germany

Germany is facing a terrifying rise in far-right threats - ThinkProgress

Horst Seehofer, has since labeled the attack a “political murder.” Then, on Friday, Germany authorities indicted eight members of a neo-Nazi terror group named “Revolution Chemnitz.” The men were arrested last October...https://thinkprogress.org/series-of-arrests-highlights-rise-far-right-germany/

Chemnitz: Syrian asylum-seeker convicted of killing that sparked far-right riots - DW (English)

Alaa S. has been sentenced to nine years and six months for the killing of Daniel H. Chemnitz has done a lot to try and alter its image since the death. The man accused of the killing that led to a week of far-right violence last year in Chemnitz was found guilty of manslaughter at a court in Dresden on Thursday, and sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. Alaa S., a 23-year-old Syrian asylum-seeker, had maintained his innocence, while state prosecutors demanded a 10-year prison sentence for "joint manslaughter and serious physical injury." The prosecution case was largely based on the testimony of an employee at a nearby kebab shop. In an interview with public broadcaster ZDF a few days before the verdict, Alaa S. swore that he did not touch either the victim or the knife that killed him. His lawyers pointed out there was no DNA evidence linking him to either, though in their final statement on Thursday, prosecutors said his guilt had been proved nonetheless. The main suspect, 22-year-old Iraqi Farhad A. who had previously been accused of stabbings, has not bee...https://www.dw.com/en/chemnitz-syrian-asylum-seeker-convicted-of-killing-that-sparked-far-right-riots/a-50120472

Germany: Who killed Daniel H.? - DW (English)

What happened? On August 26, 2018, 35-year-old Daniel H. was stabbed to death in the eastern German city of Chemnitz. His heart and lung were perforated in the knife attack, which occurred as the city was holding an annual public festival. Another person was injured in the altercation. Initially, the death of Daniel H. was blamed on Farhad A., a 22-year-old Iraqi national, and Alaa S., a 22-year-old Syrian asylum-seeker. The main suspect, Farhad A., disappeared after the incident. Authorities are still looking for him. What is known about the night of the attack? According to media reports, Farhad A. and Daniel H. had been consuming cocaine on the evening of August 26, 2018, and later got into an argument. The reports say Alaa S. then arrived on the scene to help Farhad A., after which both began stabbing Daniel H. "without legitimate reason," as it is expressed in the indictment. As the whereabouts of Farhad A. are unclear, only Alaa S. goes on trial this Monday. The public prosecutor accuses him of having committed "manslaughter and grievous bodily harm" together with another person.https://www.dw.com/en/germany-who-killed-daniel-h/a-47955256

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier calls for dialogue in Chemnitz - DW (English)

The only obvious signs of the demonstrations that electrified Germany are two banners that hang down in protest against the far-right sentiment, which has become synonymous with the name "Chemnitz," the city formerly known as "Karl-Marx-Stadt" prior to German reunification. "Chemnitz is neither grey nor brown," read the banners. The color brown is associated with the far-right in Germany. Read more: Merkel urges understanding for eastern Germans Following the killing of Daniel H. in August, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets. A Syrian and an Iraqi stand accused of fatally stabbing the 35-year-old following an altercation. The demonstrations quickly escalated into xenophobic riots, attended by far-right extremists and known neo-Nazis. While some protesters were accused of hunting people they believed to immigrants, others were seen making the illegal straight-armed Nazi salute. Some nine weeks later, Chemnitz is still on its search for normality — a search that isn't going to end soon. A vicious circle of historical, economical and social factors have all contributed to the rise of the far-right and xenophobic sentiment in the eastern German city. Read more: Crossing Germany's divide – encounters with far-right protesters Promoting open discussion In a bid to promote dialogue between locals, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Chemnitz for the first time as president on Thursday, where he met with a group of citizens at a so-call...https://www.dw.com/en/german-president-frank-walter-steinmeier-calls-for-dialogue-in-chemnitz/a-46125473

Green party politician remains most popular head of federal state in Germany: poll - Xinhua | English.news.cn - Xinhua

With an approval rate of 66 percent, Daniel Guenther, Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein, was the second most popular head of a federal state in Germany, followed by Stephan Weil of Lower Saxony who was ranked third with 60 percent. At the bottom of the ranking was Berlin's governing mayor, Michael Mueller (SPD), whose work was only rated positively by 27 percent of people living in the German capital's federal state. Following a big win in the European Parliament elections in May, where the Green party in Germany won 20.5 percent of votes and became second strongest political force, support for the Green party in Germany is at a historic high. According to last week's Trendbarometer, the Greens would gain the same number of votes as the governing conservative union CDU/CSU if elections were to be held. With regards to a first Green German chancellor, Winfried Kretschmann recently told the Funke Media Group that a German government led by the Greens would not involve a radical change of policy. "Nobody needs to be afraid of a Green Chancellor. We are not trumps or Erdogans or Orbans who throw everything overboard," Kretschmann told the German newspapers. The head of Baden-Wuerttemberg noted that he did not see "big differences" in alliances with the CDU/CSU and the SPD. "In socio-political issues, we make progress with the social democrats, in economic policy with the CDU/CSU". http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-07/16/c_138229413.htm

Chemnitz: Syrian asylum-seeker convicted of killing that sparked far-right riots - DW (English)

Daniel H.'s death, took another 8% and now has five of the 60 seats in the city council. Karsten Hilse, an AfD Bundestag member for Saxony, says last year's demos have been misrepresented. "Of course there were some far-right extremists there," he said. "But a young man was murdered, and then citizens got together who weren't far-right extremists, but just normal people like you and me, who said, 'right, this is enough now'." "What annoyed a lot of Chemnitzers is that hardly anyone talked about the murder afterwards, but only about the people who demonstrated," he argued. "But if you're a normal citizen, you go to work, you pay your taxes, and then you say ok, now I'm going on the street to say: 'I just don't...https://www.dw.com/en/chemnitz-syrian-asylum-seeker-convicted-of-killing-that-sparked-far-right-riots/a-50120472

German Man Arrested After Failed Attack on Synagogue - The Wall Street Journal

Halle’s university hospital. A senior security official identified the suspect as Stephan Balliet, 27, a German citizen from the state of Saxony-Anhalt, where Halle is located, and said he wasn’t previously known to authorities. German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said prosecutors had enough information to assume a far-right motivation behind the attack, even though it was too early to make a final determination. The 35-minute video of the assault was streamed live on Twitch, a streaming platform owned by Amazon.com Inc., according to Storyful, a social-media intelligence company owned by News Corp, which also owns The Wall Street Journal. Christiane Prinz, 49, who owns a hairdressing salon opposite the synagogue, said she saw the suspect, dressed in a dark-green military outfit, launch a projectile over the synagogue’s gate into its front yard and cemetery, after which there was a loud bang. .webui-slideshow-inset a:link, .webui-slideshow-inset .webui-slideshow-inset a:visited { color: initial; } div...https://www.wsj.com/articles/two-killed-in-shooting-in-eastern-germany-11570621267

German conservative politician resigns over far-right ties - DW (English)

Now, the local lawmaker has left Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union. Robert Möritz, a local politician from the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt, surprisingly announced his resignation from Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) on Friday, saying he wanted "to shield the party from further harm" and calm the political uproar. It recently emerged that Möritz had ties to Germany's right-wing extremist milieu, and has a symbol tattooed on his arm associated with neo-Nazism. Möritz said his resignation was about sending a signal, and that "sometimes, life is about focusing on one's true priorities." He added that he nevertheless fully subscribes to the conservative CDU's values. News of Möritz' links to Germany's far-right milieu had brought Saxony-Anhalt's government — a coalition between the CDU, center-left Social Democrats and environmentalist Greens — to the verge of collapse. On Thursday, the state's CDU issued an ultimatum to Möritz, demanding that he distance himself from the far-right or face repercussions. Read more: Right-wing extremists in Germany to face amped up intelligence The CDU governs Saxony-Anahlt in a coalition with the So...https://www.dw.com/en/german-conservative-politician-resigns-over-far-right-ties/a-51756713