Newly elected German mayor stabbed amid rising political violence

The recently elected mayor of a town in western Germany was in critical condition on Tuesday after she was found in her home with multiple stab wounds to her neck and abdomen. 

Iris Stalzer, 57, a center-left Social Democrat who secured her mayor-elect standing late last month, dragged herself into her home after several men allegedly attacked her, according to her 15-year-old son, reported Reuters citing German news outlet Bild.

But according to investigators, “Close family involvement cannot be ruled out at the present time,” and Stalzer’s son and 17-year-old daughter were also brought in for questioning. 

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It is unclear who called the police and how quickly emergency responders arrived at the scene, though police officers blocked off the street outside her home and launched an immediate investigation.

The mayor-elect of Herdecke – a town of some 20,000 in Germany’s largest state of North Rhine-Westphalia on the border with Belgium and the Netherlands – was life-flighted by helicopter to a nearby hospital.

The attack on Stalzer comes after an unusually contentious election, according to reports, in which she ousted a conservative mayor.

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Though authorities have signaled no motive behind the attack, Stalzer is the latest politician to experience violence amid a concerning trend in Germany.

Several German officials were attacked last year during campaign-related events, and according to Reuters, some 60% of German politicians have reported experiencing violence at least once – prompting growing concern among officials about being in public. 

German Chancellor Fredrick Merz responded to the news of the attack in a post on X and called it “an abominable act.”

“We are anxious about the life of the designated mayor Iris Stalzer and hope for her complete recovery. My thoughts are with her family and her relatives,” he said after calling for an investigation. 

Police officials from North Rhine-Westphalia could not be immediately reached for comment regarding this report.