The German authorities knew for months that the capital’s power network was at risk of an attack by left-wing activists, because plans were laid out in a pamphlet published in August.
Yet as the weekend’s arson-induced outage—which plunged large parts of Berlin into darkness and left tens of thousands of residents without electricity amid freezing winter conditions—revealed, these same authorities simply were not prepared.
AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said this “blatant failure” was telling of “the politically motivated prioritisation” of the security authorities:
Instead of combating real threats, they target blameless citizens and the country’s largest opposition. With devastating consequences for our infrastructure and the safety of the people.
Separately, she pointed the finger at Chancellor Friedrich Merz and his coalition partners, saying “the CDU/SPD Senate bears the responsibility with its inaction” and warning that “the renewed left-terrorist attack on the power grid”—indeed, this was the second left-wing extremist attack on the city’s power infrastructure in just four months—“shows where the state’s downplaying of left-wing extremism leads.”
Zehntausende Berliner sind immer noch ohne Strom! Der erneute linksterroristische Anschlag auf das Stromnetzt zeigt, wohin die staatliche Verharmlosung des Linksextremismus führt. Der CDU/SPD-Senat trägt mit seiner Untätigkeit die Verantwortung! https://t.co/nB5OSWdE7Z
Junge Freiheit also reported on Tuesday on the “silence” of Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Frank-Walter Steinmeier regarding the left-wing attack, jibing that this is likely because the “wrong” perpetrators were responsible.
The extremist ‘Volcano Group’ behind the attack claimed it was taking ‘action’ against the rich because of the damage they are doing to the environment and due to their alleged incitement of hatred against migrants, calling it “an act of self-defense and international solidarity with all those who protect the Earth and life.”
In reality, by far the most damage has been done to working or vulnerable Berliners, who were reportedly put at greater risk of burglaries, and, of course, of suffering far greater under the winter conditions.
And as if to add insult to injury, an SPD politician explained on Monday why migrants have been allowed to stay in hotels for free during this time while locals, paying for this cost, had to cover their own hotel costs, too. Other migrants were evacuated out of the affected areas of the city altogether, triggering frustration about the contrary treatment of elderly citizens left in the cold and dark.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
