Karl Lauterbach: The window in the constituency office was smashed on New Year's Eve

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Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD): "That's just sad"

Photo: CLEMENS BILAN / EPA

On New Year's Eve, the window of the Cologne constituency office was thrown in by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD).

The state security has started the investigation, said a spokesman for the police.

The Cologne Express had previously reported on the attack.

Lauterbach told the German Press Agency on New Year's Day that due to previous damage to property with slogans and corresponding threatening emails, he assumed that the renewed attack on his office was carried out by the ranks of radicalized vaccine opponents and corona deniers.

"Minister of Disease", "Murderer" and "Psycho"

"These people do not represent society, where the overwhelming part is really sticking together and trying to do everything against the pandemic," said the minister.

“You represent a very small splinter group that self-righteously believes that they have to take a different path here and that got lost in the process.

It's just sad. "

On December 10, the office was smeared with slogans such as "Minister of Disease", "Murderer" and "Psycho Lauterbach".

When exactly at the turn of the year the more than fist-sized hole was punched in the window of the shop is unclear, it said from the local SPD club.

The anger and hatred of the corona deniers are increasingly directed against individual representatives of the state.

At the beginning of December, several dozen right-wing extremists gathered in front of the home of the Saxon Health Minister Petra Köpping (SPD).

In addition, the police in Saxony arrested several suspects who are said to have forged plans to murder Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU).

The members of a Telegram chat group, which combines the rejection of vaccinations, the state and the current corona policy, "expressed in the aforementioned chat group and at non-virtual meetings, among other things, plans to kill the Saxon Prime Minister and other representatives of the Saxon state government," it said the State Criminal Police Office of Saxony.

muk / dpa