German police investigate assault of two Green politicians in Essen

German police were searching on Saturday for a pair of suspects involved in the assault of two Green Party politicians in the city of Essen on Thursday evening.

The State Protection Office had taken over the investigation due to the possibility that the assault could have been politically motivated.

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser on Saturday wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that "this act is another attack against our democracy."

Kai Gehring, who serves in the German parliament in Berlin, was with Rolf Fliss, a local Essen politician, when they were approached on a major city street at around 10:30 pm on Thursday.

After an initially friendly conversation, an argument and insults ensued. Fliss was punched in the face and slightly injured. The two suspects then fled in a taxi towards the city centre.

It was not known what the attackers said to the two Green politicians during the argument.

The WAZ newspaper reported, citing Fliss, that he and Gehring were known to the perpetrators as elected officials.

Fliss serves as Essen's third mayor, a largely honourary role. He has been active in local politics in the western industrial city for decades - with a particular focus on climate, environment, construction and transport.

In a joint statement, the two Green politicians said: "We are concerned that hostility towards politicians is on the rise. We will not be intimidated, because we need people who are committed to our community."

The local Green party in Essen called the attack "unbelievable."

"We stand together and continue to fight for a world in which politicians can work without fear," it said.

On Friday evening there was an attack on another politician in the eastern German city of Dresden.

Police said four unknown persons attacked Matthias Ecke while he was putting up election posters late on Friday evening. Ecke was seriously injured and required treatment in hospital.

Ecke, who is a member of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), is also the SPD's top candidate for the upcoming European Parliament elections in the eastern German state of Saxony.

News of the attack prompted outraged reactions from politicians from several of Germany's political parties, who decried the violence.