Usually, it's "Republicans seize," but since this incident took place in Germany, it's Europe's "far right" doing the seizing. As we reported last week, a Saudi Arabian national plowed his car into a crowded Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany, killing five people and injuring more than 200. People jumped to call the incident an act of Islamic terrorism, although we were assured that the man was not only an ex-Muslim. The Associated Press reported that German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said, "We can only say for sure that the perpetrator was evidently Islamophobic — we can confirm that." Sure, Jan.
POLITICO is reporting that the European far-right has seized on the terrorist attack "to hammer immigration and Islam."
Europe’s far right has seized on Friday's Magdeburg attack to hammer migration and Islam.https://t.co/E44csdSuDY
— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) December 21, 2024
POLITICO Europe reports:
A firestorm of far-right fury ignited around Europe on Friday night after a driver crashed into festive revelers killing at least five people at a Christmas market in eastern Germany.
Leading right-wing figures from Geert Wilders in the Netherlands to Nigel Farage in Britain to Marine Le Pen in France seized on the harrowing smash to push an anti-immigrant and anti-Islam agenda, as hard-right parties gather momentum around the continent.
Beyond Europe, Elon Musk — the tech billionaire and key adviser to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump — weighed in with withering criticism of German authorities, urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign.
Magdeburg police reported late Friday that the suspect was a man from Saudi Arabia, which fueled the far-right anger. (German authorities had neither confirmed the violence was terrorism nor tied the suspect to any terror groups at the time of publication.)
Alice Weidel, chair of Germany’s anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, pointedly asked “When will this madness end?” while expressing her condolences for the victims of the attack.
Haven't you heard by now that Elon Musk posted in support of the anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland party? Geert Wilder, Nigel Farage, Marie Le Pen … the list of far-right figures goes on and on.
So, do we have any idea of the terrorist's motive yet? It's been several days.
Or maybe they pounced?🤷🏻♂️ I know y’all like that word too.
— Our rulers are not the best of us. (@RandyGully) December 21, 2024
Oh no. Seizing!
— Battery Dweller ☦️ (@PeorianRefugee) December 22, 2024
SEIZED!
— DeadYup (@DeadYup1) December 22, 2024
You dipshits do realize that the perpetrator of this horrific act of violence was carried out by a Saudi national who took advantage of a shoddy immigration process that shielded him from deportation, right?
— JT (@JT100431) December 22, 2024
Are we supposed to believe a pro-immigration atheist rammed into a crowd of Christians?
Politico missed the memo. "Far right" no longer has any meaning or relevance and YOU share the blame for that.
— Opus (@Opus_Rexx) December 22, 2024
Maybe if the guy had been extradited to the Saudi’s when they requested, this tragedy would never have happened.
— Nomar5g (@Nomar5g) December 22, 2024
Germany reportedly denied the man's extradition to Saudi Arabia, citing "human rights concerns."
There's nothing 'far right' about having common sense.
— TheBuriedLedeR (@The_BuriedLedeR) December 21, 2024
Similarly, there's nothing 'extremist' about wishing to eradicate acts of primitive, medieval barbarism.
Wow, those right-wing radicals are a big problem, aren't they @POLITICOEurope? They'll just pounce on every little thing as an excuse to say things you don't like.
— DiscoMephisto (@DiscoMephisto) December 22, 2024
The right doesn't "pounce" over there?
— pantsdailyon (@pantsdailyon) December 22, 2024
They march in the streets. Look at all of these far-right wingers:
Thousands of Germans are marching against mass immigration in Magdeburg. pic.twitter.com/DyImBTVsla
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) December 23, 2024
This time they've seized, not pounced. And it's the "far-right." And we don't know anything about the perpetrator yet other than he was Islamophobic. Be patient before you seize.
***
Join the conversation as a VIP Member