Germany has a problem

Surely AFD will win next time.

There's only so much they can take.

People? Are we going to pretend that this isn't by and large a male thing?

It's not German males though is it? It's an immigrant problem.
I know it makes people uncomfortable, and there's a kneejerk tendency to just go "oh, racist", but denying what everyone can see is incredibly unhelpeful.

Why do you think it isn't discussed?
It's all over the headlines right.

But please refrain from jumping to conclusions.

I'm sorry to hear there's been another attack. I don't know the details.
There have been several high profile in the last year. I'm surprised there isn't a more flagging of suspects and preventative measures in a country with resources like Germany. In previous attacks there have been warning signs beforehand. They need to act sooner with these disturbed individuals.

People? Are we going to pretend that this isn't by and large a male thing?

Lot’s of people jumping to conclusions and assuming this is terrorist related. Wait for the evidence.

I think that often, people who are in some sort of mental distress follow pre-existing cultural tropes in how they express that distress. People in one culture run around and rip their clothes. The Americans seem to shoot a gun into a crowd. And maybe in Germany it is this car thing.

These start for reasons of their own initially, but it becomes a kind of learned response to express some kind of inner problem.

Overall people seem more distressed now too. I don't think it's just stuff like CoL. But we've also lost a lot of the social supports that help people manage these things. I am not thinking of stuff like state welfare or even the medical system - though that's an issue too. But stuff like increasing isolation, neighbourhoods full of people you don't know, lack of charitable or religious or other civil organizations, or really, lack of people joining them.

The bbc article is certainly milder than the picture of a woman's severed leg that is all over my X feed.
I've noticed there's not been much discussion so far on MN, but between largely France and Germany, either stabbings or vehicle attacks are averaging around two a week now, sometimes more. Always "only" one or two deaths so it never hits major headline news, just a steady drip of fear.

I saw some concrete pillars on the footage of the Mannheim incident today, likewise, the market in Magdeburg had them, too. The nature of Karneval/Fasching means that vehicles have to be able to drive along with their displays, so it's difficult, if not impossible to secure.

I don't really know where to begin with the problems in Germany at the moment. Terrorism is certainly one of the major ones, but it just feels like a country being dismantled slowly. Karneval is a big part of life in the town I'm from and it's awful to see it being targeted in this way - so many small volunteer organisations and clubs rely on money raised. I actually find myself feeling really angry about all of this. I know there have also been a number of threats in other cities, too.

In Frankfurt there are big bollards that look like HUGE lego bricks at the entrances to any areas where festivals or the Christmas markets are held.
However, I do wish reports of these incidents would stop referring to Western Germany and Eastern Germany. Those times are long gone.