State security investigates after attacks on Greens' office and alternative housing project in Cottbus

On the same night, unknown persons threw Molotov cocktails at the alternative housing project „Zelle 79." According to current findings, no one was injured. Investigators are also examining an arson attack near the building of the alternative club „Chekov," where a fence slat burned. Greens Bundestag member Andrea Lübcke spoke of a setback for structural change: „Rechte Gewalt und Einschüchterung beschädigen das Ansehen der Stadt weit über Cottbus hinaus."

Suspicion of a right-wing motive

Following the incidents, police are focusing on two men dressed in black aged between 15 and 20 as suspects. No concrete arrest warrants or arrests have been publicly announced so far. The investigating authorities initially provided no information on the origin of the perpetrators.

As a spokesperson confirmed, state security is involved in the investigations. „Der Staatsschutz ist an den Ermittlungen beteiligt." The authority routinely checks whether a politically motivated background exists. In all three cases—the destroyed office window, the attack on „Zelle 79," and the arson at „Chekov"—there is currently suspicion of right-wing extremist perpetrators based on the current state of the investigation.

Reactions from politics and civil society

Cottbus Mayor Tobias Schick described the acts of violence as a red line that must not be crossed. The SPD politician told RBB: „Der SPD-Politiker sagte dem RBB, Gewalttaten seien eine rote Linie, die nicht überschritten werden dürften." Schick added that social pressure must build again so that acts of violence do not become part of everyday life.

Schick also emphasized the civil society dimension: „Dies müsse in der Zivilgesellschaft viel deutlicher hervorgehoben werden." The state association of the Greens in Brandenburg also weighed in on the debate. Spokesperson Mike Kess said: „Wir gehen ganz stark davon aus", sagte der Sprecher des Landesverbands, Mike Kess, mit Blick auf einen rechten Hintergrund.

CSD action weeks in the background

Brandenburg Greens Bundestag member Andrea Lübcke underscored her party's determination. „Wir lassen uns nicht einschüchtern und werden weiter für Demokratie, Vielfalt und eine solidarische Stadtgesellschaft arbeiten." She picked up on a wording that local politicians in Brandenburg had also repeatedly used in recent weeks to position themselves against threats and property damage.

Cottbus is currently hosting the action weeks for Christopher Street Day (CSD). The CSD itself is scheduled for 11 July. The action weeks provide a timeframe for events, demonstrations, and cultural formats centered on the rights and visibility of sexual minorities. In previous years, CSD events in several Brandenburg cities had seen counter-protests from the right-wing extremist spectrum, some of which had to be dispersed by police.

The context of the ongoing action weeks is also relevant for the security authorities. Brandenburg's Office for the Protection of the Constitution has for years observed increasing networking among militant right-wing extremist groups in the rural area between Berlin and the Polish border. In this situation, Cottbus is among the cities where right-wing extremists regularly attempt to mark public spaces of alternative and democratic actors.

The Berlin state government and the city administration of Cottbus had launched several programs in recent years to strengthen civil society. These include counseling services for victims of right-wing violence, programs against online hate, and the expansion of political education in schools. Whether these structures will receive additional short-term funding in the specific situation remained open on Friday.

State of investigation and security authorities

The state security investigations are being coordinated by the Frankfurt (Oder) Police Headquarters. Brandenburg's Ministry of the Interior referred on Friday to ongoing investigations and asked for patience. A statement on possible links of the suspected perpetrators to the right-wing extremist scene was initially withheld with reference to the ongoing investigations.

Right-wing extremist crimes continue to be centrally recorded in Brandenburg. Last year, the Ministry of the Interior had registered a slight increase in politically right-wing motivated offenses, particularly in the area of propaganda offenses and property damage. The current arson and property damage incidents in Cottbus are being placed in this context by investigators.

For the coming days, Mayor Schick announced a broad civil society response. He called on initiatives, churches, sports clubs, and trade unions to visibly stand up against right-wing violence. Schick further said in the RBB interview that violence must not become a kind of everyday life that is simply accepted.

Structural context of structural change

The local political debate in Cottbus is likely to be fueled by the incidents. In the coming weeks, the city parliament is set to debate the budget and security issues. Several parliamentary groups had already demanded in recent months better lighting of public spaces and more video surveillance at sensitive points.

Little is known so far about the backgrounds of the three incidents. Police secured evidence at the crime scenes, including glass shards from the smashed window, residues from the incendiary devices at „Zelle 79," as well as fire marks on the fence of „Chekov." Results of a forensic evaluation were not available by midday Friday. The evaluation of possible witness information was also ongoing.

State security is taking the lead because a politically motivated background must be examined in all three cases. Brandenburg's police law provides that state security intervenes when there are indications that a crime is directed against the free democratic basic order or can be attributed to an extremist scene.

Outlook for the coming days

Advocates from civil society also spoke out on Friday. The organizers of the Cottbus CSD, for example, pointed to a tense mood in the city that had persisted for weeks. They announced that the program of the action weeks would proceed as planned despite the incidents, and that the security situation would be coordinated with police.

The events in Cottbus also cast a spotlight on the structural problems of Lusatia. Structural change following the exit from lignite has posed enormous social and economic challenges to the city. Studies show that regions undergoing strong economic change are more susceptible to right-wing extremist mobilization. Cottbus is considered in this respect one of the most affected cities in eastern Germany.

Schick emphasized on Friday that it was now time for democrats to take a clear stand. This also includes not trivializing the incidents or portraying them as isolated cases. Should the investigations confirm the suspicions, the perpetrators and their alleged networks must be responded to with all the means of the rule of law.