Local media reported an alleged stabbing of a freelance German journalist in Naumberg, Germany. Klaus-Peter Kruemmling was leaving the Rewe supermarket in Saxony-Anhalt on a Friday night when he was confronted by a group of teenagers. One teenager spat in the direction of the car, and flashed the middle finger which led the 59-year-old to run after the group, confronting them on their outrageous behavior. Following the short confrontation, one of the members has stabbed Kruemmling after punching him the stomach and fleeing the scene. Additionally, the Leipziger Volkszeitung reported that the teens had flashed the Hitler salute in the midst of the attack. Only later in the car did Kruemmling notice his wet stomach was covered in what was surprisingly blood and informed the police when he arrived home. Although the perpetrators are still unidentified, the police investigation is still ongoing.
This shocking article caught my attention due to my German background and the fact that I studied abroad there for quite some time. I was extremely disappointed to discover that young adults are flashing Hitler salutes. In my time there, I had never experienced anything close to this nature. On the contrary, all Germans are extremely sensitive regarding any neo-Nazi topic and usually will not speak on the subject at hand. This attitude was, in a way, quite comforting to know that the past has clearly changed the entire country and they intently focus on moving forward, away from the embarrassment that is their history. Furthermore, knowing that the perpetrators were young makes me wonder if they have any influences, for example, an older friend or family member, besides Hitler. This article was for me, and many other Germans, quite alarming and discomforting. I highly encourage Angela-Merkel in her steps to prevent such attacks and hope that the slow progression of the AFD stops or at least doesn’t cause a domino effect of acts by skin heads and Neo-nazis.