Green campaigner attacked and robbed near Berlin

A campaigner for Germany's Green Party was attacked and robbed on the outskirts of Berlin on Tuesday.

The attack took place at around 11:30 am (0930 GMT) in Hohen Neuendorf in the eastern German state of Brandenburg, which is holding elections in September.

The Märkische Allgemeine newspaper reported that an unknown man approached a 68-year-old Green campaigner and verbally assaulted him, before pushing him to the ground and stealing his bag, which contained electoral flyers.

The alleged perpetrator then ran away, leaving the campaigner slightly injured.

Special police teams responsible for politically motivated crimes have taken over the case, said a police spokesman in the eastern German state of Brandenburg.

Green Party spokeswoman Anne Schumacher condemned the attack, calling it cowardly and unacceptable.

Brandenburg police have reported a significant increase in attacks on politicians this year.

The state interior ministry said 75 politically motivated crimes against officeholders and party representatives were recorded from January to March alone, up from 55 over the same period in 2023.

In one notable recent incident, Adeline Abimnwi Awemo of the Christian Democratic Union was racially abused and attacked while putting up posters in the eastern city of Cottbus, where the Cameroon-born politician has lived for more than 20 years.

The violent incidents have come amid a bumper election year for the state, which is holding elections to the state parliament on September 22 after European and local polls earlier this year.