The Christmas market in Magdeburg is now officially closed after the attack on Friday. The organizer announced on Saturday that “the Christmas market and the light world 2024/2025 are ended.” It also stated that the hearts and thoughts of the organizers are with the victims, their families, and the rescuers. The market was originally supposed to remain open until the end of next week.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also expressed his shock over the attack. “We are all shaken by the horrific reports of the terrible attack on the Christmas market in Magdeburg, while German doctors are fighting to save the lives of the injured” he said on Saturday morning.
Violence should not prevail anywhere. “We pray that the doctors will be able to save the lives of the seriously injured.”
It is of crucial importance that all circumstances and motives of the attacker are fully clarified. “We stand alongside the people of Magdeburg and all Germans on this dark day. Stay strong, dear German friends” the president said.
In the meantime, FDP General Secretary Marco Buschmann called for a reform of the security authorities. If it is true that the attacker “had announced a violent act and there were warnings from foreign services, it must be clarified why it went so far” he said to the Funke Media Group newspapers.
The structures of internal security in Germany need to be fundamentally reformed, Buschmann further demanded. “The federal and state governments must tackle this together, and a federalism commission is the right framework.” There are too many authorities in the federal, state, and local governments that overlap in fulfilling their tasks. “This must be reorganized and the investigation authorities must be strengthened.”
Union Parliamentary Manager Thorsten Frei called for restraint in evaluating the motive behind the suspected Magdeburg attack. “It’s a day of mourning. The pictures from Magdeburg shock me deeply. My thoughts are with the victims of this inhumane act” he said to the Rheinische Post.
“In these dark hours, my respect is primarily for the rescue teams and police officers who quickly rushed to the scene. When evaluating the background of this crime, I advise restraint, as much is still unclear” Frei said.