Cameroon-born German politician racially assaulted ⁰

A Cameroon-born German CDU candidate for a regional election in the country’s east was racially assaulted while out campaigning, police said Friday.

Adeline Abimnwi Awemo was putting up posters in Cottbus, in the northeastern state of Brandenburg, with her family on Thursday when a 29-year-old stranger attacked her, grabbing Awemo by the throat.

“You are not human beings,” the assailant is reported as saying.

Awemo, who has German citizenship, had to go to hospital after the attack, police said.

The Secretary-General of Awemo’s centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party condemned the attack.

“It perfectly illustrates what is going on in our country… Violence and hate are on the rise,” Carsten Linnemann told journalists from the Funke media group.

“The increasing risk for people who are politically active for our country is intolerable. Violence must never become a means of political debate,” the Brandenburg CDU wrote in a post on Instagram, adding that “most importantly” Awemo was doing well again.

The regional election takes place on September 22nd.

The German far right has made significant inroads in Brandenburg and in other former communist East German regions such as Saxony and Thuringia.

In recent times, Germany has seen a rise in politically motivated attacks.

In 2023, authorities recorded 60,028 offences of this sort, around 1,100 more than in 2022.

Source: AFP