“Magdeburg Attack: A Controversial Catalyst for AFDP’s Rising Influence”

“I feel awful, I still do,” expressed Eidwicht, as she remained in the Christmas market near the location where the vehicle rushed through on Friday, resulting in five fatalities and injuring over two hundred others.

“My granddaughter was present. I called her when my daughter informed me that something had occurred here. And she didn’t respond for two hours.”

There is profound sorrow here – and ire aimed at the administration and immigrants. “It can’t continue like this,” remarked Eidwicht.

A 50-year-old Saudi refugee has been detained regarding the incident, but the motive remains unclear.

Authorities state Taleb Al-Abdulmohsen was an “atypical” assailant. Germany’s Christmas markets and festivities have previously been targeted, predominantly by radical Islamists.

He has been characterized as critical of Islam, having also expressed support on social media for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, commending the party for combating the same adversary as he “to safeguard Germany”.

The AfD has not responded to those posts – and the party intends to hold a mourning procession in Magdeburg later on Monday, attended by national party leader Alice Weidel.

Her party is presently enjoying a surge in the opinion polls leading up to federal elections on 23 February, particularly in regions like Saxony-Anhalt in the former East Germany.

This incident has highlighted two significant electoral topics: security and immigration, and AfD representatives have emphasized both since the event.

Despite the suspect’s numerous declarations exhibiting animosity toward Islam, the AfD leader in Sachsen-Anhalt, Martin Reichardt, proclaimed in a statement that “the assault in Magdeburg illustrates that Germany is being drawn into political and religious extremism that originates from another world”.

In a post on X, Weidel indicated that the government’s deliberation on new security regulations following the event “must not divert from the reality that Magdeburg would not have transpired without unchecked immigration. The state must safeguard its citizens through a stringent migration policy and consistent deportations!”

A counter-protest will also take place, and anti-racism organizations in Magdeburg have accused the AfD of leveraging the incident.

David Begrich from Miteinander e.V. mentioned that individuals in the city needed an opportunity to recover.

“Within the migrant communities, there is considerable anxiety about being portrayed as a scapegoat,” he stated. “We don’t desire that. We aim to foster solidarity throughout society, yet we are also attuned to the concerns of those who are now responding with trepidation and doubt.”

Germans are questioning how the incident could have taken place, given that security had already been intensified at Christmas markets, and authorities had evidently investigated the suspect multiple times in prior years.

The danger he represented was deemed “too vague,” according to one evaluation, while a tip-off against him in September 2023 appears to have slipped through the cracks.

In yet another evident security oversight, the motorist was permitted to pass through an opening that had been left accessible for emergency response, which ideally should have been occupied by a police vehicle.

Vendors at the Christmas market have now been permitted to return, to discard outdated provisions and collect their gear and inventory.

None whom I approached wished to communicate with the BBC. It’s all too tender.

There has also been animosity directed towards reporters over the last few days, particularly after approximately 2,000 individuals took part in a demonstration by the far right in Magdeburg on Saturday evening.

The German Journalists’ Association stated that there had been hostility and threats against the media and called for enhanced police safeguarding.

The BBC crew joined mourners assembled in Cathedral Square for a live broadcast of the vigil for the victims of the incident, and many individuals who interacted with them emphasized the significance of displaying solidarity during this grim time.

However, one woman expressed a warning. There are “some Nazis here who harbor disdain for journalists,” she cautioned. “Please exercise caution.”