Four Teenagers Investigated over Attack on German MEP

Matthias Ecke, 41, was kicked and beaten as he put up posters for the Social Democrats (SPD) - the party of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz - on Friday evening in Dresden, capital of the eastern state of Saxony, Reuters reported.

Leaders across Germany and the EU condemned the assault, and other attacks on politicians that have doubled in Germany since the 2019 European Parliament elections, according to government data published in January.

A 17-year-old went to a police station on Saturday and said he was involved in the attack, police said. Officers then identified three more young men on Sunday, searched their homes and gathered evidence, police added.

All four are German nationals aged 17 to 18, police said. The statement did not go into details on possible motives or say whether the teenagers were in custody.

Interior Minister Nancy Faeser promised "tough action and further protective measures," in a statement on Saturday.

"We need more police presence on the ground, to protect democratic politicians at campaign stands and events," she was quoted as saying in an interview with the Rheinische Post.

She said a climate of violence was being stoked by hostile rhetoric from the far right.

The heads of the SPD in Saxony, Henning Homann and Kathrin Michel, issued a statement blaming the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has seen a surge in support in the past year, taking it to second place in opinion polls nationwide.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel said attempts to use the attack on Ecke for political gains were "vile and irresponsible", noting AfD politicians and members were frequently attacked.

Greens party politicians face the most aggression in Germany, according to the government data. Attacks on them have risen sevenfold since 2019 to 1,219 last year, the statistics released in January showed.

AfD politicians faced the second-highest number of attacks with 478, and the SPD the third-highest with 420, according to the data.

The AfD is particularly popular in the eastern states of Saxony, Thuringia and Brandenburg, where surveys suggest it could come first in regional elections in September.