German teenager turns himself in for attacking European election candidate

BERLIN – A teenager surrendered to police on Sunday over an attack on a candidate from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party, raising concerns about intimidation and violence ahead of next month’s European Parliament elections.

The 17-year-old, accompanied by a parent, turned himself in at a police station in the eastern city of Dresden at 1 a.m., Saxony state police said. “He admitted to the act, but did not go further,” police spokeswoman Silvaine Reiche said.

Matthias Ecke, candidate for the Social Democrats in the June 9 elections, was attacked by four people on Friday evening as he put up posters in Dresden. The party said he was taken to a hospital and required surgery for his injuries.

Both ruling and opposition parties say their members and supporters have faced a wave of physical and verbal attacks in recent months and have called for greater protection for politicians and election rallies.

Mainstream parties accuse the far-right Alternative for Germany party of ties to violent neo-Nazi groups and of promoting an intimidating political climate. One of its leaders, Bjoern Hoecke, is currently on trial for using a banned Nazi slogan.

Alternative for Germany, which campaigns against immigration and European integration, is expected to make gains in European polls and in elections in Saxony and two other eastern German states in the autumn.