As of: March 16, 2024, 8:56 p.m
By: Moritz Maier
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The office of an FDP MP has been under attack for months.
Punctured tires, now a swastika on the facade.
His employees no longer dare to go to the office.
Augsburg – Punctured tires, a swastika on the facade, frightened employees.
Unidentified people have been carrying out a series of attacks on the campaign office of Augsburg Bundestag member Maximilian Funke-Kaiser (FDP) for months.
He can no longer fully exercise his mandate.
The attacks have gone so far that the state security agency is now investigating.
The case is an example of the increasing violence against politicians.
Right-wing attacks against politicians?
Swastikas and slashed tires in Augsburg
The series of attacks began in the summer of 2023, when car tires were slashed by constituency office employees.
“I didn't think anything about the first one, but the second one I thought was a stupid coincidence.
With the third tire it was clear: This could only be intentional,” says Funke-Kaiser, digital policy spokesman for the FDP in the Bundestag, to our editorial team.
Funke-Kaiser called in the police, and state security is now investigating.
After a period of calm, the attacks have recently started again.
Again, the employees had to put their tires on it, and a swastika was also sprayed on the house facade.
The Nazi graffiti could be a threat and reaction from the right-wing camp to a speech Funke-Kaiser gave in the Bundestag shortly before.
“The swastika could be related to a speech I gave on freedom of expression in which I argued against the AfD,” says Funke-Kaiser.
“But that’s just a guess, I don’t know if the attacks are politically motivated.
State security is still investigating.”
Employees no longer dare to go to the office
There have been no physical attacks so far, but Funke-Kaiser's office workers are still scared.
“Employees no longer dare to go to the office.
They work in the home office, when they come to the office they let themselves be driven.” The whole team is wondering when and what will come next, says Funke-Kaiser.
“This hinders me in carrying out my mandate.”
The constituency office of FDP Bundestag member Maximilian Funke-Kaiser has been under attack for months.
His employees no longer dare to go there.
© IMAGO
The attacks are part of a negative development.
Politicians are being attacked more and more frequently, as figures from the state criminal investigation offices show.
In the first half of 2023 alone, the authorities speak of almost 350 crimes of bodily harm, property, threats, insults and slander against politicians or party members.
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Violence associated with the AfD
The Augsburg FDP MP is also following this development closely due to the attacks on his office: “The mood in the country is not good, that is also reflected in things like this.” AfD members were exposed to the most physical attacks in 2023, Greens were the most frequently attacked addressed verbally.
Recently, some events at which Green politicians wanted to appear had to be canceled because their safety could not be guaranteed.
Funke-Kaiser says he would never have thought such aggression was possible and is particularly outraged that attacks against democratic members of parliament are increasing so much: “More and more often, they are targeting democratic parties.
This has a special flavor because in Germany we have to have debates about tearing down firewalls and right-wing extremists who do not consider the basic democratic order to be so necessary.