Stalls shaped like gingerbread cookies with candy roofs have already been set up. Wreaths, bollards, public address systems… everything was already in place so that Magdeburg could reopen its Christmas market on the first Sunday of Advent. … Mayor Simone Boris announced the cancellation on Tuesday of this week and explained the reasons for the disappointing decision. I did not sign the permission form because the concept of security was presented to me. Does not guarantee 100% protection of citizens or professionals. The background is a letter from the state administration to the Magdeburg city council criticizing the concept, a year after the devastating December 2024 attacks that killed six people and injured hundreds.
The letter criticizes the number of police officers planned to protect and operate access points. When Selene, an employee at a hotel in the city center, heard the news, she lamented, “It’s like Christmas has been canceled.”
Organizers believe this criticism is false and say they cannot afford the “extremely high” cost of safety measures suggested in the document, which authorities believe is an alibi to restore health in the event of an unforeseen incident. “It is clear that the authorities are gambling now. If something happens, they will be held responsible and they will try to avoid it. It is impossible to completely guarantee safety“The company is open to incorporating many additional features into its security concept, but rejects some ‘unthinkable’ measures,” the company’s sources said.
The shock of the announcement was such that Rainer Haseroff, regional president of Saxony-Anhalt, decided to hold an impromptu meeting this Wednesday to consider whether the Advent market could be rescued with federal aid.
The Magdeburg market is not the only traditional German market not scheduled to take place this year. Although set up in many towns, many smaller Advent markets have been canceled due to safety reasons. over assaround St. Walburga Church in North Rhine-Westphalia, or Kerpenit will no longer be possible to open the stalls already installed on Stiftsplatz.
The announcement of the cancellation in Magdeburg coincidentally coincided with the start of the trial against Saudi refugee Taleb al-Abdelmohsen, who crashed his rented BMW into an unsuspecting pedestrian on December 20th. The Magdeburg District Court needed a new prefabricated room for this procedure with a surface area of 4,700 square meters and space for 700 people.
accused, defiant
The defendant arrived by helicopter and was taken to a bulletproof glass box with his ankles shackled and guarded by armed and masked court officials. During his arraignment by Attorney General Matthias Boettcher, while the victim’s family could not hold back tears, he not only showed no remorse, but also smiled broadly and appeared defiant.
He was carrying a laptop, which he held up to reporters and read “#MagdeburgGate” and “September 2026.” Apparently he wanted to refer to the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt that will be held on September 6, 2026, in which opinion polls show the far-right party Alternative for Germany (AfD) as the favorite. In a letter sent in March last year, the defendant boasted that he wanted to kill all Germans except for his lawyer and a few acquaintances.
In the end, there is a high possibility that the maximum sentence will be handed down. life sentenceat the end of this trial lasting at least 50 sessions. But the impact of that attack extends further. The market may not open this year, and there is a growing sense of defeat against this type of terrorism, which puts a strain on the environment.
«These are unavoidable attacks.. Anyone can rent a car and plow into pedestrians on the street. Anyone can pick up a knife from the kitchen and stab the first person they meet on the bus or subway. Security forces cannot prevent this. We simply lost to the security forces,” lamented Berenice, a teacher who has been retired for two years, in a conversation with the ABC. “Even if the Advent market finally opens, let’s realize that it won’t be the same anymore, because we believe that in the end, reason, not fear, will prevail. We will no longer drink mulled wine with the careless confidence we always have. In that sense, yes, we have lost the battle,” Kurt added. I recently arrived in the city to attend a court hearing.
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