Magdeburg Christmas market attack fuels migration and security debate in Germany

Following the initial shock of the attack by a Saudi Arabian national on the Magdeburg Christmas market, in which five people died and 200 were injured, it is time for political debate and the predictable exploitation of the tragedy by the far right to promote hatred against migrants two months before the general elections, ignoring the fact that the perpetrator actually came from its own circle of sympathizers.

Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was not an Islamist, nor did he come to Germany with the wave of refugees in 2015 and 2016. He frequently criticized Islam on social media and moved to the country in 2006 to work as a doctor. It was not until 2016 that the man, who specializes in psychiatry and psychotherapy, applied for refugee status. Fearful of being deported, he claimed that his life was in danger if he returned to his home country.

Indeed, his atypical profile baffled many experts when details about him began to leak out after his swift arrest. “After 25 years in this ‘business’ you think nothing could surprise you anymore. But a 50-year-old Saudi ex-Muslim who lives in East Germany, loves the AfD and wants to punish Germany for its tolerance towards Islamists — that really wasn’t on my radar,” wrote renowned terrorism expert Peter Neumann on the social network X.

However, on many platforms and Telegram channels where right-wing extremists regularly exchange information, it is already clear that this fact is simply ignored. The narrative in these groups is that this man should not have been in Germany and that if the so-called “remigration” they advocate were followed, this attack would not have happened. This term was popularized by some AfD politicians to outline a plan to deport millions of people from the country — not only migrants and refugees, but also German citizens whose ancestors were immigrants.

The simplistic and distorted narrative of the AfD and its supporters is taking hold. For them, the fundamental problem is immigration. Political forces that want to polarize benefit from such events. On Saturday, hundreds of people gathered in Magdeburg at the invitation of neo-Nazis and extremist parties, and called for the deportation of foreigners. On Monday, the AfD branch in Saxony-Anhalt called for another rally in the afternoon at the cathedral square, which was attended by around 3,000 people, according to local police, as well as by the party leader and candidate for Chancellor in the 2025 federal elections, Alice Weidel.

“After mourning comes the time to ask questions and demand answers,” the politician said on stage, describing the attacker as an “Islamist who hates Germans” and demanding “a real explanation” of what happened. During her speech before the march through the center of Magdeburg, Weidel called for the expulsion of all those who “take advantage of our hospitality and despise our values. Those who despise the citizens of the country, who kill them. They are not part of us,” she said, sparking cheers from the crowd and chants of “deportation.”

Simultaneously, an initiative called “Don’t give hate a chance” called for a human chain around the old market square where the attacker rammed his vehicle into a crowd of people enjoying the Christmas market. According to local authorities, around 4,000 people attended the event.

Migrant associations are concerned. The Salam center for violence prevention in Saxony-Anhalt and migrant organizations have observed a significant increase in attacks on people who appear to be foreigners in the city of Magdeburg. “Those who are perceived as migrants are insulted in the street with shouts of terrorists, criminals, or scumbags. Sometimes they are pushed and spat on,” the organization said in a report.

The immigration debate in a country of 82 million people, including nearly 14 million foreigners (of whom 9.5 million come from European Union countries) is fueling a political and security debate. Who is responsible? Did the secret services make mistakes? Why did they not take seriously the warnings that had reached the intelligence agencies? How is it possible that the attacker used one of the emergency lanes to reach the market?

Criticism of the authorities has been growing in recent days. Little by little, information has been leaked, such as the fact that Saudi Arabia had warned Germany about the danger posed by Al-Abdulmohsen, or that he was already under investigation after threatening to carry out an attack in 2013. For now, an extraordinary meeting of the Interior Committee of the German Parliament has been called for December 30.

“Over the past three years, the coalition government [of the Social Democrats, Liberals and Greens] has unfortunately contributed to sowing distrust in our security forces instead of strengthening our officers,” Thorsten Frei of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) told the Rheinische Post, thus breaking with the unofficial truce established after the tragedy. He again called for expulsions at German borders, something the party had demanded in the debate after the knife attack in Solingen in August this year.

This latest attack comes on the eve of an election campaign that is expected to be very harsh. The worsening economic situation in Germany and the war in Ukraine are fuelling great uncertainty among voters. Added to this is the lack of confidence in politics after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz decided to break up the government due to insurmountable economic disagreements with his liberal partners. This benefits parties such as AfD, which is in second place in the polls with 19% of the vote if the elections were held this Sunday.

“It would be naive to believe that the terrible incident in Magdeburg will not also change the election campaign. Issues of internal security and migration, which have not played a major role until now, are now making their way onto the agenda,” wrote the German publication Der Spiegel.

The traditional parties are waging a defensive battle against populism. Aware of what is to come, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), the CDU, the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Greens, the Liberal Party (FDP) and the Left Party have signed an agreement stipulating that disparagement or personal attacks on politicians must be avoided and that debates must be respectful. They must also oppose extremist statements and refrain from disinformation and the use of fake accounts. “There will be no cooperation with the AfD or with parties that are not based on the basic order of free democracy,” they wrote in the document released on Sunday.

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