A brutal attack on a man in the city of Chemnitz, Germany, has been blamed on far-left Antifa militants by members of the populist Alternative For Germany (AfD), as German counter-terrorism police investigate the incident that left the victim without several fingers.
The attack took place this week in the Stadtpark just after 3:00 p.m., according to a report from Radio Chemnitz.
The victim, identified as 28-year-old Alexander W., was assaulted by several masked men armed with a machete next to the park’s tennis courts. The attackers chopped off several fingers on his left hand.
Police on the scene searched the park for the man’s missing fingers but were unable to find them, and speculation is that the attackers may have taken the fingers as “trophies” of the attack.
Police have not ruled out a political motive for the crime and stated that Alexander W., originally from Dortmund, had recently moved to Chemnitz and had been a part of the far-right party Die Rechte (the Right). It was also said he had been wearing a jacket known to be affiliated with a right-wing sports brand at the time of the attack.
On Wednesday, the Terrorism and Extremism Defense Center of the Landerskriminalamt (State Criminal Police Office) took over the investigation from the Chemnitz city police, indicating that police think the attack was either an act of terrorism or politically motivated violence.
Meanwhile, investigators have publicly called for any witnesses to the attack to step forward and contact them.
Members of the AfD in Saxony have blamed far-left Antifa militants for the brutal attack, stating on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter,
cutting off the fingers of political opponents is a throwback to the Stone Age. The actions of the militants of Antifa are becoming increasingly barbaric. When will the fight against left-wing extremism, which is just as important as the fight against violent right-wing extremism finally begin?
Violent far-left extremism has become a major issue in parts of Germany, such as Leipzig, where police formed an entire unit, the Soko-Linx, to deal with it, even offering rewards to those able to positively identify extremists believed to have committed violent acts.
The formation of the specialised police task force followed several violent incidents believed to have been committed by Antifa extremists, including the brutal beating of a female employee of a real estate company that took place in the victim’s home four years ago.
The attack on the 34-year-old woman was said to be linked to construction development in the Connewitz area of the city, which is known as a hub for far-left extremism, and came after extremists caused around €10 million worth of damage to equipment on construction sites in 2019.
Violent attacks by Antifa militants against right-wing activists and far-right individuals are perpetrated by the notorious Hammerbande, or Hammer Gang, which has been responsible for attacks across Germany for several years.
The leader of the Hammer Gang, Lina Engel, was found guilty, along with several of her comrades, for a range of brutal assaults involving the attackers smashing limbs and skulls with hammers to maim victims for life, with some being left for dead after the brutal attacks.
Engel was sentenced to five years and three months in prison by the Dresden Higher Regional Court, but prosecutors have appealed the decision, calling for at least eight years in prison for the far-left terror group leader.
While the Hammer Gang mostly targeted known right-wing and far-right activists, members also viciously beat people who had nothing to do with politics. In February of this year, they carried out attacks in Budapest even though Engel was in jail at the time.
