German journalist attack to be probed by state security
May 2, 2020
Authorities confirmed on Saturday that they are investigating the political motives behind an attack on the camera team of popular German satirical news show the heute-show [Today Show].
While filming on May Day, several members of the crew were attacked while filming in Berlin. Four members of the team sustained injuries severe enough to be sent to hospital. Five men and one woman were arrested.
The German Journalists' Association described the event as an attack on the freedom of the press, although the motives of the assailants remain unclear.
German state security is now investigating the crime, Berlin Chief of Police Barbara Slowik told German broadcaster RBB on Saturday morning. She described the attack as "cowardly" and said federal investigators were looking into the political backgrounds of the assailants.
One of the suspects will appear before a judge on Saturday, she confirmed.
Read more: Labor Day — Berlin workers' rally defies social distancing ban
'Not a peaceful May Day'
May Day is a traditional day for protests in Germany, but they were curtailed by restrictions put in place to counter the coronavirus pandemic.
Police allowed several small-scale protests to take place in the German capital, but thousands defied the bans and took to the streets in the district of Kreuzberg in the evening to take part in demonstrations for Labor Day.
The German police union said that almost 20 officers were injured during the course of Friday night when scuffles and small-scale riots emerged from the protests. "It was not a peaceful May Day," the union added.
Nearly 350 people were arrested or had their details noted, with police confirming the presence of right-wing activists and conspiracy theorists.
The heute-show went ahead as usual on Friday night on German TV station ZDF, with the production team condemning the attack.
"We are seriously affected by this and wish our colleagues a speedy recovery," they wrote on Twitter.
ed/aw (AFP, dpa)