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 🙏

What makes you think that the poster said it had absolutely nothing to do with Christianity?

(I am into trying to understand people's reasoning at the moment. It's interesting to see why people have particular opinions)

Doubtful they ever 'owned' that pos. The attacker may have been a sympathiser in his lunatic ramblings online because of his special interest but I kinda can't imagine AFD would have welcomed this nutter, as he represents what they oppose. It's been reported that he wanted to work with them on a project but that hi was turned down.

I don't think you need to worry about AFD supporters, this guy's actions will have increased their popularity 100 fold. The AFD leader seems scary and fanatic, or maybe just an opportunist but unfortunately is likely to become the next Giorgia Meloni. elections in less than 2 months.

I wouldn't be surprised if AFD gained significant support in places like Saxony-Anhalt and other regions. This event will have left a profound and long lasting impact in the region, they will not forget nor forgive.

People won't focus on the attacker being (allegedly) anti muslim, they'll focus on the fact that he's an immigrant and that he attacked the country that gave him a sanctuary in the most heinous way.

It's a Christmas market. I have been to many over the years, all will have nativity scences, traditional Christian carol singers, backdrops of beautiful churches, Christian memorabilia for sale, everyone I have been to has a huge nativity crib. Even the word itself translates into mass of Christ. It was an attack on Christianity.

I am merely asking if that is people's thinking. It is what people have said so I am trying to reflect back to them what they have said to see if I understand correctly.

If you think that I am misinterpreting what people have said, then I am sorry.

The UK is a Christian country. Is an attack on UK people also an attack on Christians?

Was 9/11 an attack on Christians? Or an attack on the USA?

@cakeorwine

"So you seem less confident now in your opinion that Christians are being targetted"

The actual motive of the terrorist will never be known but the fact that it is Christmas market associated with Christmas (a Christian festival) will mean that the majority of the victims will be of a Christian background (of varying degrees of religious commitment).

So if there was an attack on a Diwali festival would you deny that the majority of the victims would be Hindu?

You actually couldn't make it up.. if where they left was so bad why do they want to change their new country into what they have fleed from?

Actually I don't think so, I think it was an attack on Germany.

He, being a psychiatrist and all, knew what would cut right into the heart of the country and chose that method of killing and injuring people. It looks like he hated the German authorities for some niche reason and wanted to make a point.

Because he didn't get his won way.

A fanatic with special interest and obsessive thinking. Maybe some mental illness thrown in. But he did this because he didn't get what he wanted.

It's not a Muslim versus Christina thing, it's a arrogant violent man who feels slighted and angry and entitled to lash out and kill those who don't obey him.

Saddo.

So the person who said that it was an attack on Christians because people who are attended were of a Christian background, even if not religious, is incorrect in their thinking?

Or the person who said that Germany is a Christian country so it was an attack on Christians was wrong

You are saying that it was a Christmas market with Christian scenes so it was therefore an attack on Christians.

Only just predominantly Christian. I'm 'of no religion' like almost 40% of Germany and I've been to my fair share of Christmas markets. My brother who is also a heathen travels to a European Christmas Market every year. I can't see any reason why Germans almost 40% of non religious people wouldn't partake in the tradition.

I would say that a Diwali festival would be an attack on Hinduism if people were predominantly celebrating the events of Diwali.

A similar event here would be an attack on a church, especially at a Christmas or Easter service.

Mosques in Germany are extremely crowded, he apparently was anti Islam so why not attack there instead. Christians are easy targets.

Why not target a church then?

That would be guaranteed to target mostly Christians. It would be an awful event, guaranteed to create outrage

https://cne.news/article/4500-christians-in-danger-attacks-in-europe-are-rising-again

Read the news? However, the Magdeburg prosecutor, Horst Nopens, said one possible factor could be what he called the suspect's frustration with Germany's handling of Saudi refugees.

I wonder why you are so keen to try to remove Christianity from this discussion? It seems that you want to prove, by dissecting everyone's words, that the perpetrator was merely targeting a crowded place and had no care for the heritage/culture/religion of the people in attendance. Just any old people, who cares who they are or where they came from eh?

@cakeorwine

"What makes you think that the poster said it had absolutely nothing to do with Christianity?"

These words:

"It may be a Christian festival to you, but for most people it's a secular holiday."

To deny Christmas is a Christian festival is simply wrong.

Sure people may choose not to celebrate it in any particular religious way and prefer to see it as an opportunity to overeat and buy presents but it doesn't mean that it's not a Christian festival.

Why are you so keen to insert it when there is no evidence at all that it factors into anything?

https://www.romereports.com/en/2024/11/26/hate-against-christianity-on-the-rise-in-europe/

I am not trying to remove Christianity.
I am just asking why some people are so convinced that it was a deliberate attack on Christians instead a deliberate attack on a crowded place full of Germans.

Why do you not think it was a deliberate attack on a crowded place full of Germans guaranteed to target Germany?

100%.. the mainstream media keep trying to poke at a "far right" .... he attacked Christianity at Christmas time.

Surely it would have been more effective to target a church then?

@cakeorwine

"I would say that a Diwali festival would be an attack on Hinduism if people were predominantly celebrating the events of Diwali. "

What does this paragraph even mean? Yes people attending a Diwali festival are predominantly there to celebrate Diwali- they are not attending a Diwali festival to predominantly celebrate the Easter Bunny !

A similar event here would be an attack on a church, especially at a Christmas or Easter service.

It's a bit difficult to drive a car a high speed into and through a church, besides firearms are strictly controlled in Germany.

It means that a Diwali festival is a religious event for Hindus.
Just as an Easter service or a Christmas service is a religious event for Christians.

A Christmas market is not a religious event.

Because Germany is a predominantly Christian country. Just as people describe people from Middle Eastern countries as Muslims, so people from Germany can be described as Christians, surely? 'Muslim' is not a race. Nor is Christianity. But this Christmas market was party of the run up to the Christian Festival of Christmas. That's why feelings are heightened. It would be like a person of European heritage driving into a crowd in Turkey during Eid. What would people think?