Roula Khalaf, the Editor of the Financial Times, offers her handpicked stories in a delightful weekly newsletter designed for readers who are eager to stay informed.
In Munich, a tragic incident unfolded as a 24-year-old Afghan man drove into a crowd, injuring more than twenty people. This marks the third attack involving an asylum seeker in Germany over the past three months. With federal elections just days away on February 23, this latest attack has intensified scrutiny and concern.
The police reported that the act appeared intentional. The driver had maneuvered his vehicle to follow a protest organized by the trade union Verdi. He then bypassed a police vehicle and accelerated into the crowd of protesters. They have now detained the driver, who was operating a cream Mini Cooper, ensuring he no longer poses any danger to the public.
This violent event coincides with preparations for the annual Munich Security Conference, a gathering attended by senior officials from around the globe. It adds to a troubling sequence of attacks by asylum seekers that have cast a shadow over Germany’s election campaign, disrupting attempts to focus discussions on the stagnant economy.
Just last December, a Saudi doctor in exile plowed into a Christmas market in Magdeburg, resulting in six deaths and injuring approximately 200 people. The following month, an Afghan national with psychiatric issues tragically took the lives of a child and an adult in Aschaffenburg.
These incidents have thrust the topic of migration into the forefront of political discourse. Consequently, Friedrich Merz, leader of the Christian Democrats and a leading candidate for chancellor, took an unexpected turn by enlisting the far right’s support to advocate for stricter migration rules in the Bundestag.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD), known for its rigorous stance on immigration, appears poised for a historic performance, potentially securing around 20 percent of the vote and a second-place finish.
At the scene of the latest attack, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder, affiliated with the CDU’s sister party, the CSU, stressed the need for real change. “We cannot just move from one attack to the next, merely expressing concern,” he stated, emphasizing that decisive action is necessary.
