Knife attack at city festival: Debate over stricter knife laws gains momentum

After the knife attack in Solingen and before the state elections in the east, the deadlocked traffic light debate about stricter gun laws seems to be gaining momentum. Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann announced negotiations on gun laws for knives. “We will now discuss in the federal government how we can further advance the fight against this type of knife crime,” the FDP politician told “Bild am Sonntag”. So far, the FDP has rejected proposals by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) for stricter bans.

The SPD is calling for a significant tightening of the laws, as are Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck (Greens) and the opposition CDU/CSU faction. A major problem with possible stricter rules on carrying knives is their feasibility, such as the security authorities’ ability to control people in public spaces.

Three people were killed with a knife at a town festival in Solingen on Friday evening. Eight people were injured, four of them seriously. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office is investigating the suspect for murder and suspected membership of the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS).

The background to the current political announcements is likely to be the upcoming state elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg in September. Politicians in the traffic light coalition and the Union fear a further increase in the already high approval ratings for parties such as the AfD or the Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) alliance.

Habeck: Life no longer in the Middle Ages

Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) said: “We don’t know whether the terrible crime in Solingen could have been prevented with stricter laws.” But some legal tightening is right and necessary. He added: “More gun-free zones and stricter gun laws – no one in Germany needs bladed and stabbing weapons in public. We no longer live in the Middle Ages.”

Klingbeil: Use all options to combat knife violence

SPD leader Lars Klingbeil told Bild am Sonntag about the incidents in Solingen: “This probable terrorist attack shows that Germany has a problem with knife violence.” He is calling for an almost complete ban on knives on the streets: “For me there is no reason why people carry stabbing weapons in everyday life. All options must be exhausted to ensure that knives disappear from Germany’s streets and squares.” SPD parliamentary group vice-chair Dirk Wiese pleaded in the paper for more knife-free zones, the extension of the ban on carrying knives for people who have committed crimes, a knife ban on buses and trains and rapid prosecution of violations.

Union faction for incident-independent knife controls

The Union faction is calling for knife controls to be carried out regardless of the reason. The parliamentary manager of the Union in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei (CDU), told the “Rheinische Post” (Monday): “Instead of always arguing publicly about the right course of action, the federal government must act.” Faeser and Buschmann must “finally present a viable concept of how they want to effectively combat the increasing knife violence among young men.” This could include knife-free zones and tightening of gun laws “as well as more powers for the police, which would enable knife controls to be carried out regardless of the reason.”

Brandenburg’s CDU leader calls for more police powers

Brandenburg’s CDU state and parliamentary group leader Jan Redmann demanded: “We can only achieve greater security at folk festivals through modern video surveillance with facial recognition and bag checks regardless of the occasion.” Redmann wants to become prime minister in the state elections on September 22nd.

AfD faction: Talk about knife ban zones ridiculous

Gottfried Curio, the domestic policy spokesman for the AfD parliamentary group, accused Interior Minister Faeser of saying that her “talk of ridiculous knife-free zones” only shows “the fundamental unwillingness to deal with the real causes of such a high affinity for violence among an ever-growing clientele of perpetrators”.

Number of knife attacks has increased significantly

Recently, the number of knife attacks in Germany has increased significantly – and with it the public debate about this type of violence. In 2023, the police registered 8,951 cases of dangerous and serious bodily harm in which knives were used either to injure someone or to threaten to do so – an increase of almost 9.7 percent compared to the previous year.

According to Faeser’s plans, knives with a blade length of up to six centimeters will only be allowed to be carried in public, instead of the current twelve centimeters. There will be a general ban on dangerous switchblades.

The medical director of the Solingen municipal hospital, Thomas Standl, spoke to Welt TV about the false safety of the blade length. “I don’t think this is a debate that really gets us anywhere,” he said. “Especially in the neck, it has to be said that three to four centimeters are enough to hit the large carotid artery in normal people.” Four of the people injured on Friday evening are being treated in the hospital.

Weapon and knife ban zones

A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of the Interior explained that tightening gun laws could only be one step towards better combating knife crime. Knife bans must be consistently enforced, just as the Federal Police do with checks at train stations. In addition, gun and knife ban zones should be imposed by local authorities if there is a risk of violent crime in certain locations.

At the end of May, the act of an Afghan in Mannheim attracted a lot of attention. He injured five members of the anti-Islam movement Pax Europa and a police officer with a knife. The police officer later died. In mid-June, a 27-year-old Afghan was shot dead by officers in Wolmirstedt in Saxony-Anhalt after he had stabbed a 23-year-old and then injured several people at a private European Championship garden party.