AfD politicians’ cars set on fire in Germany

In Germany, unknown perpetrators set fire to the cars of two politicians from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in Leipzig and Bremen on Thursday night, as reported by the Bild newspaper citing law enforcement officials.

“An AfD politician and a former AfD representative had their cars set on fire Thursday night in Leipzig and Bremen,” the publication wrote. In the first case in Leipzig, it was the cars of Holger Hentschel, a representative from Saxony, with one car completely burned out and the other severely damaged.

In Bremen, unknown individuals set fire to the minibus of Frank Magnitz, a former AfD member of the Bundestag.

In 2019, antifa activists assaulted Magnitz, who was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Law enforcement authorities have not ruled out political motives in both arson cases, and the investigation is ongoing.

The AfD received 15.9% of the vote in the latest European parliamentary elections, placing second and surpassing Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats. The party supports, among other things, limiting migration and seeking a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine. Opponents of the AfD often accuse them of being tied to Russia, and more recently to China. Members of the party are frequently targeted by violent antifa actions.