ANGRY mobs made up of right-wing protesters have clashed with cops in Germany after the Magdeburg Christmas market massacre.
People stormed through the heartbroken city following the arrest of a refugee Saudi doctor who is suspected of killing four women and a nine-year-old boy in the rampage.
ReutersPolice officers detain a demonstrator during a far-right protest in Magdeburg[/caption]
ReutersUp to 1,000 people are believed to have taken part in the march[/caption]
ReutersFar-right demonstrators held up a sign saying ‘remigration’[/caption]
The protest groups quickly formed late last night with around 1,000 demonstrators marching through the capital of Saxony-Anhalt.
A giant banner with the word “remigration” scrawled across it led the march as the vile hard-right followers demanded mass deportations.
Many of them could be heard shouting: “Anyone who doesn’t love Germany should leave Germany.”
Others made ignorant demands to “take back” their “homeland”.
Across the evening’s protests a few minor fights broke out as people brawled with cops.
One image showed a man being detained by riot police who had kept a close eye on the thugs roaming the streets.
The people involved were described as right-wing extremists and hooligans, by German outlet Bild.
The marches – which ended by 8pm – have left many severely angered due to the mob focusing on the killer rather than the victims.
Nine-year-old André Gleißner and four women aged 45, 52, 67 and 75 all died in the fatal car attack.
Over 205 are said to be still injured with dozens of them in a serious condition, according to officials.
But the shameless protests have continued with some even trying to hide their identity by wearing masks to cover their faces.
The fury was fuelled by premature accusations labelling suspect Taleb al-Abdulmohsen an Islamist terrorist.
False posts online quickly ramped up fears of the attack being a premeditated assault with religion as the main motivator.
Cops are yet to release a possible motive but have revealed the man is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor.
The driver fled the Middle East to Germany in 2006 and was granted refugee status some years later, officials added.
It was then discovered by local media that al-Abdulmohsen was actually an ex-Muslim, according to his own social media posts.
Other troubling posts uncovered appeared to show how he disliked how Germany was leading the “Islamisation of Europe“.
He is also believed to be a supporter of the far right Alternative for Germany (AfD) movement.
ReutersMany of the demonstrators wore masks to cover their identities[/caption]
A picture believed to show Taleb al-Abdulmohsen
Suspect Taleb al-Abdulmohsen was arrested just three minutes after the attack had begun
German interior minister Nancy Faeser later labelled the suspect Islamophobic.
As prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens believes the motive for the attack may be “dissatisfaction with the treatment of refugees from Saudi Arabia and how they are being treated in Germany”.
Many are now fearing the tragedy could lead to the far-right in Germany to rise up and cause chaos across the devastated country.
The AfD have already called for a major rally to be held soon with co-leader Tino Chrupalla telling Interior Minister Nancy Faeser they demand to feel safe in public places.
She told media at the makeshift memorial site for the victims: “I am now demanding answers from the interior minister.
“What is actually going on here in this country? We put up with it week after week, we put up with attacks, we put up with murders of our own people.”
Germany has been rocked by the surging far-right support in recent months.
Many of the groups claim the issues revolve around ex-chancellor Angela Merkel’s 2015 “open door” policy.
This saw over a million asylum seekers to cross into Germany and stay in the country.
Social media posts by al-Abdulmohsen even reference Merkel and the plan as he wished she would be jailed for life over it.
Germany’s ‘open door’ policy
IN 2015 millions of refugees arrived in Germany thanks to Angela Merkel’s ‘open door’ policy.
At the time the government expected between 800,000 and one million people to claim asylum in the first 12 months.
It saw German borders open for business as people were allowed to enter with relative ease.
The move has always been highly divisive.
It is often praised by many liberal commentators as morally just and humanitarian.
But also bashed as a volatile idea and short-sighted by more conservative minds.
Many have also made the vile claims that this policy has encouraged the Islamatisation of Germany.
Still today, Germany remains the largest refugee-hosting country in the EU, according to the UNHCR, and it ranks third on a global scale.
Many have entered from the Middle East, Africa and all across Europe in the decade since it was announced.
Despite the protests, thousands more came together to celebrate the life of the victims and pay their respects.
Mourners, government officials and emergency service workers all joined up at a moving memorial service at Magdeburg Cathedral.
Candles were lit in solidarity as hundreds of flowers and cuddly toys were laid outside in a makeshift mural.
The touching moments came hours before the first victim was named.
Nine-year-old André Gleißner was pictured as his mum led the tributes for her “little teddy bear”.
More than £41,000 has been raised in just two days in a GoFundMe for the little boy.
Four other women aged 45, 52, 67 and 75 were also killed.
Officials are still fearing the number of deaths could rise with 41 of those injured still in a serious condition.
The doctor was hauled into court by armed cops last night and now faces five murder charges.
Along with the five counts of murder al-Abdulmohsen is also being investigated over 205 counts of suspected attempted murder and inflicting grievous bodily harm, prosecutor Horst Walter Nopens said.
Who is Taleb al-Abdulmohsen?
THE man suspected of killing five people after ramming them with his car at a German Christmas market is a 50-year-old Saudi doctor.
Ever since he was identified by local media a number of revelations about his past have emerged.
It has been reported that Taleb is an anti-Islam activist who arrived in Germany in 2006 as a refugee from Saudi Arabia, according to Bild.
German interior minister Nancy Faeser confirmed to reporters today that the suspect is Islamophobic.
The doctor is also said to have shared hundreds of strange posts on his social media in the days before the attack.
One allegedly claimed he felt that Germany wanted to “Islamicise” Europe, the newspaper reported.
He is reportedly also a vocal supporter of the hard-Right AfD party.
Taleb has lived in the nearby town of Bernburg – just over 30 minutes from Magdeburg – since fleeing the Middle East.
German media say he became a specialist in psychiatry and psychotherapy and works in the neighbouring town.
He has been officially recognised as a refugee since 2016, local media say.
German media also say they have spotted Taleb in a BBC documentary back in 2019.
FacebookAndré Gleißner, 9, tragically died when a car rammed into a crowd at Magdeburg Christmas market[/caption]
Chris EadesFlowers and toys have all been left at a mural for the victims[/caption]
X Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
