Violence in Germany

Are domestic politicians sufficiently protected?

The Federal President is under constant protection - as was recently the case at the opening of the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Amsterdam.

(Bild: APA/PETER LECHNER, Krone KREATIV)

The situation in Germany shows that a political profession is increasingly associated with dangers. Are domestic representatives sufficiently protected? An answer from the Ministry of the Interior shows: In Austria, only three top politicians currently have permanent personal protection.

These are Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, Federal Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) and Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). In addition, there is "situational personal protection", which can be "extended to all possible persons" if necessary. Threats have tended to increase "at least since the pandemic", it said.

In connection with the recent attacks on politicians in Germany and Austria, a ministry spokesperson stated that the question would only be answered in "very general terms", as this topic is very much about internal information and the safety of individuals.

Reaction to threats
He also did not want to provide any information on the number of people with situational personal protection in Austria, but it is reportedly in the low double-digit range.

The Federal Chancellor is also protected during public appearances.

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH, Krone KREATIV)

With regard to situational personal protection, it was stated that this could be extended to other ministers and politicians in the event of threats, but also to embassy staff or representatives of international organizations. "In certain cases, a private individual can also receive situational personal protection."

Measures are individual
The aim is "to prevent or ward off specific physical dangers and attacks against the protected person", according to the Ministry of the Interior. However, police protection involves more than the physical presence of bodyguards. There is a broad catalog of measures that is individually adapted and closely linked to property protection.

Assessments are always made individually for specific people, with the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence Service (DSN) liaising with the relevant provincial offices (LSE) and EKO Cobra.

Risk situation has increased since the pandemic
According to the Ministry of the Interior, a trend towards an increase in threats against certain politically and publicly exposed persons has been noted "at least since the pandemic". External factors such as the climate crisis or wars are also contributing to the increase in threats, "which also has an impact on our situation reports and measures".

In recent days, several politicians, campaigners and volunteers have been brutally attacked in Germany - in some cases beaten until they were hospitalized and seriously injured. Former Berlin mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD), for example, was suddenly "attacked from behind with a bag filled with hard contents and hit on the head and neck" in a library, the police announced on Tuesday. The politician was slightly injured and complained of an increasing "culture of free game" towards politically active people.

Read the emotional Giffey statement:

It was only on Friday that the Saxon SPD lead candidate for the EU elections, Matthias Ecke, was beaten up and seriously injured by four young men aged 17 and 18 in Dresden when he tried to put up election posters. On Thursday, two AfD politicians were slightly injured in front of the Stuttgart state parliament. 

Physical injuries on the rise in Germany
The head of the German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA), which is responsible for personal protection, Holger Münch, expressed concern about the increase in attacks. "What is worrying is that the number of assaults is now increasing," Münch said in Bremen on Wednesday. Last year as a whole, the authority counted 27 physical attacks on politicians, this year already 22, but the number of insults against political office holders has also risen significantly.

Attacks against AfD politicians are also unacceptable.

Nancy Faeser (SPD)

Bild: AFP

According to German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD), there were 2710 crimes against elected officials in 2023, 53 percent more than in the previous year. She emphasized: "Attacks against AfD politicians are also unacceptable." She spoke of an "escalation of anti-democratic violence". The spiral of hatred and violence must be stopped, she said.

Sigi Maurer was hit with glass
Top politicians in Austria have also been victims of violent attacks in recent years. Sigi Maurer (Green Party) was hit in the face with a glass by an opponent of the coronavirus measures in 2022. In 2017, a 22-year-old student attacked the car of Upper Austrian Deputy Governor Manfred Haimbuchner (FPÖ).