A Cameroonian-born German political candidate, Adeline Abimnwi Awemo, was attacked and racially abused while campaigning for the upcoming Brandenburg state election in the northeastern city of Cottbus, police reported on Friday.
Awemo, a candidate for the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was putting up posters when she was allegedly hit in the neck and subjected to racial abuse. The attacker reportedly told her, “You are not humans.”
Awemo, who was accompanied by her family at the time of the attack on Thursday, was taken to the hospital for treatment and later discharged. Police have launched an investigation into the incident and identified a 29-year-old woman as the suspect.
This comes just two weeks after a Cameroonian-born man, Willian Chedjou, was stabbed to death in Berlin.
Following the incident, Awemo expressed her resolve to continue her political work. “I came into politics in order to work with the people and to change things together,” she stated. Despite the assault, she vowed to remain committed to her community, saying she would be “the Cottbus woman who is committed to the people.”
The attack has drawn widespread condemnation from politicians across the spectrum. On Friday, the CDU’s state chair Jan Redmann announced his intention to travel to Cottbus to support Awemo. “The increasing risk to people who are politically active in our country is unbearable,” he said. “All those who are driving polarization in our society and thus ensuring growing brutality are jointly responsible for this crime.”
Carsten Linnemann, the federal secretary general of the CDU, highlighted that Awemo’s attack was part of a troubling trend of violence against politicians. “Hatred and violence are on the rise, and polarization continues to spiral further and further,” he told the Funke Media Group.
Condemnations also came from other political parties, including the Left Party and the Greens, whose lead state candidates expressed solidarity with Awemo and denounced the attack.
As investigations continue, the incident underscores the growing concerns over political violence and the safety of candidates in Germany.
