Christmas market attack in Germany tonight😥 article linked

[Treetops11]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/dec/20/germany-christmas-market-madgeburg
I have attended many Christmas markets over the years. They are so crowded especially at the moment as German children finished school for the Christmas holidays. Frightening, my prayers are with all the victim's 🙏

Those who don't learn lessons from history are doomed to repeat it. We need to start doing things differently in response to these atrocities. Vigils, flowers and teddy bears, crying and lighting candles does not seem to be an effective strategy.

Apparently he was high on drugs. No wonder, he could access powerful drugs as a psychiatrist. Hopefully they won't give him happy meds in custody. He's a monster. Based on his social media posts he's either a sleeper or completely delulu. Probably the latter.

Agree 100%.. there are plenty of groups here kn the UK demanding the word Christmas be removed from schools.. want nativities, cribs, carols banned. Why move to a country then try dictate the status quo?
Even look at those calling Christmas lights winter lights... the pushback must be immense. We cannot bow down to this.

This does not happen and spouting these ill-informed lies is a major part of the problem. I live in a very diverse area, with a large Muslim population and I've never heard anyone object to the more Christian aspects of Christmas. I actually saw a wee girl getting her picture taken with Santa yesterday evening by her family, who were dressed in traditional Muslim clothes.

In Dublin Ireland, the Christmas lights have been renamed Winter lights.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-30277344.amp

It's been going on for years as this 2014 article proves. Catch up!

Ah, sorry. I thought the original post was referring to the UK

This may have absolutely nothing to do with religion. It's looking like he wasn't a Muslim and in fact posted anti Muslim things online...
It's looking like he was maybe on drugs..
Perhaps a case of a guy having a midlife crisis breakdown... perhaps not motivated by any political or religious cause.
Just another violent man taking his personal pain out on other people.

Makes no sense at all. If he was anti-Muslim why didn't he attack a mosque?

There is something about Saudi in his background, and had threatened to do it.

I wonder if he grew up in Saudi and whether that affected him? He seemed to struggle with Germany handing things in what regard I don't kmow.

This is why I won't visit Christmas Markets.

Our local one has massive anti car barriers all round it so they obviously anticipate attacks.

It's been going on for years as this 2014 article proves. Catch up!

That article proves absolutely nothing!!

It says schools are 'under pressure' but dies t say they've been banned.

The three schools I work closely with ALL have a nativity every year and judging by the multiple posts I see from my friends, so do countless other schools.

Someone has pointed out the lights in Dublin have been renamed 'winter lights' but if you google it every media reference refers to Christmas lights. So if the motivation was to ban the word Christmas- it's clearly not working 😂

Isn't it absolutely awful that a simple Christmas Market has become a bloody target. AWFUL.

As far as I'm aware this all kicked off after isis?

So my view for what it’s worth….

Islamic Extremism is a threat to Western democracies. We have seen this with many incidents that have happened.

Engagement and action are vital for combatting Islamic Extremism. States need to protect its people.

It is not Islamophobic to have this discussion. It is important that people and authorities feel they can discuss this, and authorities are enabled to take action.

However, the discussion on changing Christmas Lights to Winter Lights, is still a valid cultural discussion but separate to Islamic Extremism. The same with the conflict in the Middle East. We cannot lump these topics in with Islamic Extremism.

Unfortunately media outlets and people are unable to distinguish ‘Islamic matters’ and it leads to fear, Islamophobia and outrage when local things are adapted to the Muslim community.

Deaths have risen to 5 :(

something really doesn't add up about this.
Why target a christmas market if you're anti muslim as the press are saying he is? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

The first job of any democratic government is to protect its people

It must do so as rigourlsy and throughly as it can.

You're increasingly looking as though your motivation for starting this thread wasn't concern for the tragic loss of life involved.

lillylallylu · Today 11:21

something really doesn't add up about this.
Why target a christmas market if you're anti muslim as the press are saying he is? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

don’t suppose the truth will ever really be known. Perhaps just another angry, middle aged man.

Those poor, poor families.

German political leaders giving a press conference now - saying the incident much more serious than first reported - 40 people critically injured [initially reported as 15]

I think it is foolish for authorities to release any details yet. My understanding is it was linked to his social media account but it may not be ‘real’. His posts could be true and he could indeed be Far Right but to release so early on seems a bit premature. They need to investigate and make an informed statement. My fear is tensions will escalate, and people will potentially take things into their own hands, like they did so worryingly in the UK, after the General Election.

My thoughts exactly. I suspect it’s the authorities putting a spin on it as it is another man of Muslim origin attacking the native population. Europol recently said terror attacks by jihadist extremists has risen across all member states. The EU meanwhile is flooding every country with Islamic men and the media publishes report after report about the dangers of the far right despite Europol saying zero terrorist attacks have been attributed to them. Strange times.

so perhaps not a terrorist attack?
thoughts are with those affected

at least 5 killed

an anti islam activist they are saying