(Politico) Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s response to a fatal knife attack allegedly perpetrated by an Afghan man in southern Germany on Wednesday marks a clear shift in his rhetoric on migration ahead of a national election.
The attack on a group of pre-school children killed two — including a two-year-old boy — shocking Germans at a time when migration has become a pivotal issue ahead of the Feb. 23 vote.
“I am tired of these violent crimes occurring every few weeks, perpetrated by individuals who came to us seeking protection,” the chancellor said. “Misguided tolerance has no place here.”
The suspect in the stabbing, a 28-year-old Afghan, arrived in Germany in late 2022 and subsequently applied for asylum, according to Joachim Hermann, Bavaria’s interior minister.
