29 July 2025
Statement on racist trends in Magdeburg since the attack on December 20, 2025: Open letter from SeebrĂĽcke Magdeburg to the city of Magdeburg

Dear Mayor Simone Borris,

Dear Minister of the Interior of Saxony-Anhalt Tamara Zieschang,

Dear Minister Dr. Reiner Haseloff,

Dear citizens of Magdeburg,

Since the attack on the Christmas market on December 20, our city has changed. Our thoughts are with those affected and their families and friends and we would like to express our sympathy and full solidarity with them. We wish all those injured the best possible recovery. In the hours following the attack, many people did extraordinary things and saved the lives of many people. Great respect and thanks to those who saved lives in this situation.

While the actual event fades into the background in the media coverage, racist speculation about the motives for the attack remains present and is deliberately used to reinforce discriminatory narratives. Such a limitation to the origin of the attacker ignores structural connections and prevents an objective, differentiated discussion of the actual causes. After all, the reasons behind the crimes cannot be explained solely by the origin of the perpetrator. The current facts show that the real reason for the attack is complex and was an attack on a society of the many.

What remains in our city after the crime is an aggressive climate - characterized by racist agitation, right-wing ideologies and inhumane narratives. People with a history of flight or migration are the focus of hatred and violence. These people, who are part of our society, enrich our city (e.g. as rescuers on the evening of the attack) and want to lead a life here in safety and dignity, are being unfairly targeted.

We condemn the racist attacks and hatred towards people with a history of migration. Here too, our thoughts are with those affected and their families and friends, with all those who no longer feel safe in Magdeburg. Since the attack, more and more of those affected have decided to leave the city. We would like to express our sympathy and solidarity to all people who feel excluded and unwanted from the city society, even though they are an essential part of Magdeburg.

We call on the city society, political leaders and every single person to take a stand and stand up for an open society based on solidarity. There must be no place for racism and inhumane ideologies in Magdeburg and elsewhere.

Our demands:

• Solidarity with those affected: The voices of those affected by both the attack and the attacks afterwards must be heard more. We demand encounters at eye level and clear signs of solidarity, for example through the expansion of psychosocial infrastructure and trauma therapy places.

• Visible protection for those affected: The city of Magdeburg must ensure that people with a history of flight and migration feel safe by providing those in need of protection with help in public places. This also includes a differentiated assessment and consideration of the risks arising from right-wing gatherings, such as targeted and organized violence against people with a history of migration.

• Clear positioning against right-wing violence: We expect everyone to take an unequivocal stance against all forms of hatred and violence.

• Complete and transparent investigation of the attack: We demand from responsible institutions that the clarification of the background to the attack be made transparent for all people and that the truths about this become the focus of reporting.

We wish for the entire city's society that everyone can come to terms with this collective trauma together so that the city can regain its peace.

Those affected by the racist attacks also have this right.

Join us and the first signatories and sign the open letter, take a stand against racism and for a open-minded Magdeburg that is worth living in. For all.

In solidarity,

SeebrĂĽcke Magdeburg,

FlĂĽchtlingsrat Sachens-Anhalt,

Landesnetzwerk Migrantenorganisationen Sachsen-Anhalt (LAMSA) e.V.

Syrisch-Deutscher Kulturverein e.V. Magdeburg 

Afghanische Fraueninitiative (AFIMA) Magdeburg e. V.

Contact:

SeebrĂĽcke Magdeburg

[email protected]

Update 30 July 2025

Statement on racist trends in Magdeburg since the attack on December 20, 2024: Open letter from SeebrĂĽcke Magdeburg to the city of Magdeburg

Dear Mayor Simone Borris,

Dear Minister of the Interior of Saxony-Anhalt Tamara Zieschang,

Dear Minister Dr. Reiner Haseloff,

Dear citizens of Magdeburg,

Since the attack on the Christmas market on December 20, our city has changed. Our thoughts are with those affected and their families and friends and we would like to express our sympathy and full solidarity with them. We wish all those injured the best possible recovery. In the hours following the attack, many people did extraordinary things and saved the lives of many people. Great respect and thanks to those who saved lives in this situation.

While the actual event fades into the background in the media coverage, racist speculation about the motives for the attack remains present and is deliberately used to reinforce discriminatory narratives. Such a limitation to the origin of the attacker ignores structural connections and prevents an objective, differentiated discussion of the actual causes. After all, the reasons behind the crimes cannot be explained solely by the origin of the perpetrator. The current facts show that the real reason for the attack is complex and was an attack on a society of the many.

What remains in our city after the crime is an aggressive climate - characterized by racist agitation, right-wing ideologies and inhumane narratives. People with a history of flight or migration are the focus of hatred and violence. These people, who are part of our society, enrich our city (e.g. as rescuers on the evening of the attack) and want to lead a life here in safety and dignity, are being unfairly targeted.

We condemn the racist attacks and hatred towards people with a history of migration. Here too, our thoughts are with those affected and their families and friends, with all those who no longer feel safe in Magdeburg. Since the attack, more and more of those affected have decided to leave the city. We would like to express our sympathy and solidarity to all people who feel excluded and unwanted from the city society, even though they are an essential part of Magdeburg.

We call on the city society, political leaders and every single person to take a stand and stand up for an open society based on solidarity. There must be no place for racism and inhumane ideologies in Magdeburg and elsewhere.

Our demands:

• Solidarity with those affected: The voices of those affected by both the attack and the attacks afterwards must be heard more. We demand encounters at eye level and clear signs of solidarity, for example through the expansion of psychosocial infrastructure and trauma therapy places.

• Visible protection for those affected: The city of Magdeburg must ensure that people with a history of flight and migration feel safe by providing those in need of protection with help in public places. This also includes a differentiated assessment and consideration of the risks arising from right-wing gatherings, such as targeted and organized violence against people with a history of migration.

• Clear positioning against right-wing violence: We expect everyone to take an unequivocal stance against all forms of hatred and violence.

• Complete and transparent investigation of the attack: We demand from responsible institutions that the clarification of the background to the attack be made transparent for all people and that the truths about this become the focus of reporting.

We wish for the entire city's society that everyone can come to terms with this collective trauma together so that the city can regain its peace.

Those affected by the racist attacks also have this right.

Join us and the first signatories and sign the open letter, take a stand against racism and for a open-minded Magdeburg that is worth living in. For all.

In solidarity,

SeebrĂĽcke Magdeburg,

FlĂĽchtlingsrat Sachens-Anhalt,

Landesnetzwerk Migrantenorganisationen Sachsen-Anhalt (LAMSA) e.V.

Syrisch-Deutscher Kulturverein e.V. Magdeburg 

Afghanische Fraueninitiative (AFIMA) Magdeburg e. V.

Contact:

SeebrĂĽcke Magdeburg

[email protected]

Update 30 July 2025

Statement on racist trends in Magdeburg since the attack on December 20, 2024: Open letter from SeebrĂĽcke Magdeburg to the city of Magdeburg

Dear Mayor Simone Borris,

Dear Minister of the Interior of Saxony-Anhalt Tamara Zieschang,

Dear Minister Dr. Reiner Haseloff,

Dear citizens of Magdeburg,

Since the attack on the Christmas market on December 20, our city has changed. Our thoughts are with those affected and their families and friends and we would like to express our sympathy and full solidarity with them. We wish all those injured the best possible recovery. In the hours following the attack, many people did extraordinary things and saved the lives of many people. Great respect and thanks to those who saved lives in this situation.

While the actual event fades into the background in the media coverage, racist speculation about the motives for the attack remains present and is deliberately used to reinforce discriminatory narratives. Such a limitation to the origin of the attacker ignores structural connections and prevents an objective, differentiated discussion of the actual causes. After all, the reasons behind the crimes cannot be explained solely by the origin of the perpetrator. The current facts show that the real reason for the attack is complex and was an attack on a society of the many.

What remains in our city after the crime is an aggressive climate - characterized by racist agitation, right-wing ideologies and inhumane narratives. People with a history of flight or migration are the focus of hatred and violence. These people, who are part of our society, enrich our city (e.g. as rescuers on the evening of the attack) and want to lead a life here in safety and dignity, are being unfairly targeted.

We condemn the racist attacks and hatred towards people with a history of migration. Here too, our thoughts are with those affected and their families and friends, with all those who no longer feel safe in Magdeburg. Since the attack, more and more of those affected have decided to leave the city. We would like to express our sympathy and solidarity to all people who feel excluded and unwanted from the city society, even though they are an essential part of Magdeburg.

We call on the city society, political leaders and every single person to take a stand and stand up for an open society based on solidarity. There must be no place for racism and inhumane ideologies in Magdeburg and elsewhere.

Our demands:

• Solidarity with those affected: The voices of those affected by both the attack and the attacks afterwards must be heard more. We demand encounters at eye level and clear signs of solidarity, for example through the expansion of psychosocial infrastructure and trauma therapy places.

• Visible protection for those affected: The city of Magdeburg must ensure that people with a history of flight and migration feel safe by providing those in need of protection with help in public places. This also includes a differentiated assessment and consideration of the risks arising from right-wing gatherings, such as targeted and organized violence against people with a history of migration.

• Clear positioning against right-wing violence: We expect everyone to take an unequivocal stance against all forms of hatred and violence.

• Complete and transparent investigation of the attack: We demand from responsible institutions that the clarification of the background to the attack be made transparent for all people and that the truths about this become the focus of reporting.

We wish for the entire city's society that everyone can come to terms with this collective trauma together so that the city can regain its peace.

Those affected by the racist attacks also have this right.

Join us and the first signatories and sign the open letter, take a stand against racism and for a open-minded Magdeburg that is worth living in. For all.

In solidarity,

SeebrĂĽcke Magdeburg,

FlĂĽchtlingsrat Sachens-Anhalt,

Landesnetzwerk Migrantenorganisationen Sachsen-Anhalt (LAMSA) e.V.

Syrisch-Deutscher Kulturverein e.V. Magdeburg 

Afghanische Fraueninitiative (AFIMA) Magdeburg e. V.

Contact:

SeebrĂĽcke Magdeburg

[email protected]

243
signatures
198 verified
  1. Nicole Anger, Mitglied des Landtages und des Stadtrates, Die Linke, 39108 Magdeburg
  2. Gabriel RĂĽcker, Aktivist, OVGUpride, Magdeburg
  3. Schwester Sora, Orden der Schwestern der Perpetuellen Indulgenz, Magdeburg
  4. Sofian Ahansal, Magdeburg
  5. Anna Kleine, Studentin, Magdeburg
  6. Philipp Kloss, Musikkombinat Magdeburg e.V., Magdeburg
  7. Julian König, Kaffeeröster, KRÖM Kaffeerösterei, Magdeburg
  8. Amke Sophie Rybak, Studentin, Magdeburg
  9. Annalena Palm, Magdeburg
  10. Hendrik Reese, Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg
  11. Lena Sibbel, Studentin, Stendal
  12. Elias Kluth, Physiker, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg
  13. Die Linke Magdeburg, Stadtverband DIE LINKE, Magdeburg
  14. Eicca Berentz, Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Magdeburg
  15. David Zibold, Geschäftsführer, Basta // Wein:Sein GmbH, Magdeburg
  16. Markus Lippmann, Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal, Magdeburg
  17. Christos Lachanas, Fachschaftsrat der Fakultät für Informatik an der OvGU
  18. Pauline Pallmann, Magdeburg
  19. Imra Mantey, Aktivistin, Magdeburg
  20. Leo Kröger, Student, Ebstorf
...
158 more
verified signatures
  1. Vici Schmidt, Studentin, Magdeburg
  2. Paul Schulz, Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Otto von Guericke Universität, Magdeburg
  3. Johanna, Studentin, Magdeburg
  4. Adham Abtini, Student, Magdeburg
  5. Lucienne Rößler, Studentin, Hochschule Magdeburg-Stendal, Magdeburg
  6. Ayman ALBURKAN, Magdeburg
  7. Zoé Ochsendorf, Studentin, Magdeburh
  8. Marko Lifshits, Student, Magdeburg
  9. Robin Lauth, Physiker, Magdeburg
  10. Magdeboogie e. V., Magdeburg
  11. Mohammad Hassan, Logistik, Magdeburg
  12. Faisal, Student, Magdeburg
  13. FRIEDERIKE BOCK, Student, Magdeburg
  14. anonymous, Studentin, Otto-von-Guericke Universität
  15. Soraya Ahansal, Magdeburg
  16. Nils Hoymann, Student, OVGU, Magdeburg
  17. Charlotte Lucka, Studentin, Magdeburg
  18. Sary, 39326, Wolmirstedt
  19. Noor Jamaludeen, Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität, Magdeburg
  20. Teresa Scheibe-Ahansal, Magdeburg