German police shoot and injure man who attacked far-right demo with a knife

Footage circulating on social media showed a bearded man attacking people on the square with a knife

The area is cordoned off as police and firefighters are deployed following an incident on Mannheim's market square, Germany, Friday, May 31, 2024. Picture: Rene Priebe/dpa via AP

German police said they shot and wounded a man who attacked a right-wing demonstration in the south-west German city of Mannheim.

Police said they could not yet give details about the extent of the injuries suffered by the people gathered on Marktplatz, a square in the centre of the city of about 300,000 people.

Officers said the incident happened shortly after 11.30am on Friday.

A livestream broadcast from the same location by anti-Islam activist Michael Stuerzenberger showed the 59-year-old preparing to address a small crowd.

"A firearm was used against the attacker," Mannheim police said in a statement. A rescue helicopter was in attendance and trams in the area had been suspended.

Footage circulating on social media, bearing a watermark linked to his "Open Eyes" anti-Islam lobbying tour, showed a bearded man attacking people on the square with a knife, one of whom suffered a deep cut to his leg.

Stuerzenberger, who describes himself as an Islam-critical journalist, has been a member of several far-right anti-Islam organisations, including the PEGIDA movement that holds regular marches in cities especially in eastern Germany.

A policeman is seen on the footage shooting the attacker as he grapples on the ground with another man, whereupon he rolls in pain on the cobbles.

There was no longer an immediate danger to the public, police said in a statement.

 - additional reporting from PA