2024-08-16 10:26:23
An attack on a politician’s office in the capital has caused outrage. Initially, there was talk of shots being fired at the window – but the police suspect another weapon was used.
During the attack on the constituency office of SPD MP Lars Düsterhöft in Berlin-Oberschöneweide, the window was damaged, according to initial police findings, “probably with a sharp object.” Police announced this late in the afternoon. The politician, who sits in the Berlin House of Representatives, initially spoke of four shots being fired at the constituency office.
The police also reported that the facade of the building on Siemensstrasse had been smeared with red paint. Düsterhöft had also reported this. The politician published photos on Facebook of the damage to the office window and the words “We condemn Germany 4 Genocide” on the facade of the building. The attack on the constituency office sparked outrage, and numerous politicians expressed their solidarity.
The politician in question condemned the act: “Shots fired at my face and slogans written on the wall of a house are criminal acts that deeply affect and shock me,” wrote Düsterhöft on Facebook. “What is the next step up, that someone stands in front of me with a gun and pulls the trigger?” He rejects this escalation. “That is precisely why I am extending my hand,” the politician continues, extending an invitation “to a serious conversation and exchange on an equal footing.”
According to his own statements, Düsterhöft has “from the beginning” viewed the Federal Government’s stance in the Middle East conflict critically because of its support for the ultra-right Israeli government. “Many Berliners have their roots in the region, regardless of whether they are Jewish or Muslim,” writes the MP. Although he can only imagine the fears, desperation and anger of the people on both sides, he understands them. “The situation affects me too,” says Düsterhöft. “In this conflict, Berlin must be a place where togetherness, solidarity and exchange are the focus. Berlin is not a sideshow.”
Pro-Palestinian activists accuse the Israeli government of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip. Since the Islamist Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, there have been weekly demonstrations in Berlin in the context of the Gaza war.