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Arson attacks in Hamburg: targets of anger against the economic elite!
Politically motivated arson attacks were carried out on the vehicles of business representatives, including Karl Gernandt, in Hamburg over the weekend.
Arson attacks in Hamburg: targets of anger against the economic elite!
Last weekend, Hamburg was again rocked by arson attacks. On two consecutive nights, three cars burned in Groß Flottbek and the Elbe suburbs, which apparently belonged to high-ranking business representatives. The first acts occurred on the night of Friday to Saturday when a Mercedes GLE and a Mercedes C-Class burst into flames at 3:30 a.m. These vehicles were parked on property owned by Karl Gernandt, President of Kühne Holding AG, but the cars belonged to bystanders. Gernandt himself does not currently live in the house in question because it is rented. According to Zeit, the perpetrators criticize Klaus-Michael Kühne's plans to build a new opera in Hafencity.
The police are investigating intensively and checking whether there is a political background behind the crimes. In a letter of responsibility published on the Indymedia platform, the crime is attributed to the left-wing extremist scene and Gernandt is described as Kühne's “stooge”. The authors of the letter express sharp criticism of the opera plans, which they classify as elitist and a trivialization of colonial crimes. They are also demanding that Kühne and Gernandt hand over their assets to the descendants of colonial victims and luxury properties to refugees. These demands reflect broader dissatisfaction with developments in the city, particularly with regard to gentrification and social injustices. The State Security Office of the State Criminal Police Office is also investigating to uncover possible connections between the crimes.
Political background and connections
On Sunday there was another arson attack on the vehicle of the managing director of the defense supplier Vincorion, Kajetan von Mentzingen. The car was “made unfit for war use” with an incendiary device. According to the confession letter associated with this attack, Veterans Day played a role. This series of attacks shows an alarming trend that is not new in Hamburg. According to Junge Freiheit, almost 90 percent of the politically motivated arson attacks since 2017 have come from a left-wing extremist milieu. Of 73 cases that were classified as politically motivated, the security authorities assigned 65 to the left-wing extremist scene.
The Hamburg Senate is not only struggling with internal challenges, but is also under pressure from political forces. Dirk Nockemann, chairman of the AfD parliamentary group, speaks of a failure of the ruling Social Democrats and Greens in dealing with left-wing extremist violence. He calls for tough action by the rule of law to counteract the problem.
At a time when gentrification and social injustice are causing concern, the debate surrounding the new opera in Hamburg is becoming more intense and controversial. Mayor Peter Tschentscher describes the project as a “stroke of luck and an opportunity” for the city, but criticism of the implementation plans is becoming louder. At the same time, the 40 percent decline in registered refugees in May shows that social pressure on the city continues to grow.