‘Dark shadow’ over Christmas in Germany
After the attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, a ‘dark shadow’ hangs over Christmas, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in his annual Christmas speech.
‘A dark shadow hangs over this Christmas,’ the German head of state said. He referred to the ‘pain, horror and bewilderment over what happened in Magdeburg a few days before Christmas’.
Steinmeier also called for unity in his country and urged the German people not to allow extremists to drive citizens apart. The attack sparked a public debate on security and migration in Germany. There are early elections in two months' time and it is feared that the success of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland will be further reinforced.
On Friday, a 50-year-old Saudi doctor, who had been legally residing in Germany since 2006, drove a car into visitors at the Christmas market in Magdeburg. Five people were killed and dozens were injured.
(Fausto/Source: ARD, Guardian/Illustration picture: picture alliance/dpa/Reuters/Pool | Annegret Hilse)