EP member Matthias Ecke attacked while hanging posters

It has been reported that Social Democratic Party (SPD) European Parliament (EP) member Matthias Ecke (41) was seriously injured in an attack in the city of Dresden, in the German state of Saxony.

According to a statement from the SPD Saxony State Organization, Ecke, who is the party's lead candidate from Saxony for the EP elections, was attacked while hanging posters.

The statement indicated that EP member Ecke, who was seriously injured in the attack, required surgery.

'OUR VALUES ARE UNDER ATTACK'

In a joint statement, SPD Saxony State Organization Co-Chairs Hennig Homann and Kathrin Michel stated that the attack on Ecke was a warning signal for everyone in the country, declaring, "Our democratic values are under attack."

SPD Co-Chairs Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil also condemned the attack, stating, "The perpetrators want to intimidate us as representatives of a democratic society, but they will never succeed."

'THE RULE OF LAW WILL RESPOND' STATEMENT

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser emphasized that if it is confirmed that this attack on Ecke ahead of the EP elections was politically motivated, it would constitute an attack on democracy.

Stating that anti-democratic violence has reached a new dimension, Faeser noted that the rule of law would respond to this firmly.

According to a statement from the Dresden police, 4 unidentified individuals attacked a 41-year-old person hanging posters for the SPD on Schandauer Street. The victim was injured and taken to the hospital.

Prior to this incident, 4 individuals had also attacked another person hanging posters for the Green Party on the same street. The Saxony State Ministry of the Interior announced that an investigation into the incident has been launched.