In the run-up to the June 9 European Parliament elections, assaults and harassment of various politicians and activists are taking place as the country becomes increasingly polarized.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD), which the German government says has suffered the most assaults and attacks of any political party, has suffered another attack, this time against party member Holger Kühnlenz in Nordhorn, Lower Saxony.
"Today, at the information stand, there was a violent attack against me," the 63-year-old victim wrote on Facebook, sharing photos of the incident.
According to police reports, a 29-year-old man and woman first drove by the AfD information stand and threw eggs at it.
The eggs missed the target, but half an hour later the same two people returned wearing masks and approached the stand. The 29-year-old threw an egg at Kühnlenz, hitting him in the head. When Kühnlenz approached the man, the 29-year-old punched him in the face.
Kühnlenz has since posted a photo on social media showing that he suffered a minor injury to his face.
Attacks on SPD and Green Party members in Saxony
The AfD member is not the only politician to have been attacked recently.
In Dresden, Matthias Ecke, a member of the European Parliament for Saxony, was attacked and seriously injured while putting up posters. The attackers, said to be four young people between the ages of 17 and 20, punched and kicked the 41-year-old, according to police. Ecke reportedly underwent surgery at the hospital, but is recovering. Minutes before the attack, the four suspects had assaulted a 28-year-old Green Party campaign worker who was putting up posters.
A witness said the men, dressed in black, were right-wing extremists, but police have not yet confirmed a motive or their identities.
Both incidents took place in the middle-class Dresden district of Striesen, known for its old villas.