Iran Press/ Europe: Police shot at the man, who was also injured during the fracas on the Marktplatz, a square in the city’s downtown area.
“There is currently a major police operation on the market square in Mannheim,” local police said.
Shortly before the attack took place, anti-Islam activist Michael Stuerzenberger was seen on a livestream preparing to give a speech to a small crowd in Mannheim, which is is south of Frankfurthas about 300,000 residents.
The Pax Europa group, which describes itself as an organisation that informs the public about “the dangers posed by the increasing spread and influence of political Islam”, said the attack happened on the sidelines of an event it staged.
The violence comes in the final stretch of a European parliament campaign in which the far-right Alternative for Germany party has campaigned partially on what it claims is the danger posed by migration from Muslim countries.
Germany’s interior minister Nancy Faeser said it was up to investigators to determine a motive.
According to Patrick Walsh, Irish political analyst and historian, “Anti-Muslim has increased in recent months in response to demonstrations in support of the Palestinians in Gaza. The right, which used to be antisemitic is now strongly pro-Zionist. It sees Muslims as the enemy today. Of course, these groups are often pro-Armenian too, because they identify the Armenians as a Christian people under attack from the ‘Muslim hordes’.
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