Terrifying violence in the election campaign: Green politician under fire!

Terrifying violence in the election campaign: Green politician under fire!

The Bundestag election campaign in Rhineland-Palatinate accepts worrying proportions. This is particularly evident in the case of Kim Theisen, the Bundestag candidate of Bündnis 90/Die Grünen, who is massively threatened, including shooting threats. According to Ben Kurier , the election campaign stand of the Greens in Bad Ems is under police protection. Theisen reports on numerous threats and is determined to maintain their stand.

The police have assured their support to ensure the safety of the Greens. Theisen expresses gratitude for the prompt reaction of the police on the threats. Petra Spielmann, the chair of the Greens in Bad Ems, speaks of threats to murder and emphasizes the seriousness of this situation. Over 300 hate comments under a campaign post illustrate the tense situation, many of these comments are sexist and glorifying violence.

terrible developments in the political climate

Pauline Sauerwein, the chairwoman of the SPD Bad Ems, is affected by the threats against Theisen. It criticizes the general brutalization in the political debate and calls for a respectful cooperation. Sebastian Dohn from the left expresses solidarity with Theisen and speaks against violence in the political discussion. The incidents in Bad Ems are part of a worrying development in which violent threats against politicians are becoming more and more common.

The perpetrators are often anonymous, but feel encouraged to cross inappropriate limits through digital attacks. A study in which National Geographic shows that almost every second politically committed person is affected by digital violence. Almost every fourth affected woman even thinks about withdrawing completely.

The effects of digital violence

yvonne Magwas, CDU member of the Bundestag, warns: "Persistent attacks break down the democratic coexistence." Anna-Lena von Hodenberg, Managing Director of Hateaid, urgently demands measures to protect politically committed. Hateaid sees the need to set up contact points for victims of digital violence within the parties and to consistently follow the display of hate comments.

The fact that operators of social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are under particularly worry is. Mark Zuckerberg announced a lower regulation in the United States, which made it difficult to pursue hate comments. The same applies to Elon Musk and the Platform X. In the EU they face the Digital Services Act (DSA), which prescribes measures against hate comments and false information.

The tense situation shows that many politically committed people are affected by retreats. Some take back their candidacy, while others continue to feel committed. Luisa Neubauer explains that threats and hate comments would not prevent them from their work. It demands political pressure to better regulate hate postings and democratize the platforms.

The Democratic Society is in a critical phase in which digital violence has more and more influence on political culture. It is crucial that both politicians and citizens position themselves against this tense situation and stand up for a respectful political culture. The death of respect in political discourse could have fatal consequences in the long term.