The ground has been swept away from under the feet of the Magdeburg citizens

Often lost in thought, groups of people stand on Saturday afternoon in front of the Johanneskerk on the edge of the Christmas market in Magdeburg where dozens of victims were killed on Friday evening. At least five people were killed and more than two hundred people were injured.

People lay flowers, cuddly toys and wreaths in front of the church gate. Others light candles. In the middle of the memorial site is a note with one word on it: ‘Warum?’.

That question concerns many people here when, around three o’clock in the afternoon, a group of men in long black coats approaches from the side of the church. They wear two wreaths with white flowers. “In Gedanken den Opfern und Angehörigen” is written in black letters on the white ribbon: in thoughts of the victims and their families.

The flowers are from the CDU faction of the federal parliament of the state of Saxony-Anhalt, of which Magdeburg is the capital. Earlier in the day, Chancellor Olaf Scholz also laid a wreath here. According to a German journalist, a number of right-wing extremists have also come here before. “I saw someone walking here wearing a shirt with the Reichsadler on it,” he says. A symbol referring to Nazi Germany.

“This is a nightmare that no one in Saxony saw coming,” says Sven Schulze after laying the wreath. He is state minister of economy, tourism and agriculture on behalf of the CDU. Schulze is also chairman of the regional CDU and of the presidium of the national CDU. “It is terrible what happened here,” he says. “I am here for the victims and their loved ones.” Immediately afterwards, Schulze walks away again, apparently without paying attention to the many television crews.

No longer safe

This is no time for politics, says 69-year-old Sybille Weinert, who is standing near the church talking with two friends. She was born and raised in Magdeburg and searches for words to describe her feelings. „Wutend”, she says – furious – although she immediately doubts that word. “I am angry but also sad.”

Magdeburg is such a nice city, with many students, says Sybille, who worked as an engineer before retiring. “And now I don’t feel safe anymore. It could happen again, if not with a car or with a bomb or a gun.” She doesn’t know what this will mean politically. Like most other people present, she first wants to process what happened.

Christmas is a time for reflection, the national elections of February 23 still seem far away. Then Sybille starts to talk about the tension that went through her community last night. Everyone goes here at some point during the Christmas period, she says. “We could all have become victims here. That’s why everyone started calling when the news about the attack came out.”

This is also described by Daniël Koop, journalist for the news site Welt, who grew up in Magdeburg. “I was in Frankfurt when I heard it and I immediately called my family,” he says in front of the camera. “It turned out well for my family,” he adds when asked when his recording is complete. “Fortunately so.”

Sober trumpet

Behind him, a middle-aged man and woman with two almost adult children stand looking at the flowers. As if there is no one else in the world, they turn towards each other and hold each other tight for a moment. The man lovingly kisses the two children on the head. They look at each other, say nothing and walk away together, hand in hand.

On the other side of the sea of ​​flowers, a man in brightly colored, dirty work clothes starts to play the trumpet. Eckhard Swanholt is his name, he works as a gardener, pruning trees and growing blueberries on a farm just outside Magdeburg. “I was on my way home for Christmas when a good friend of mine called,” he says. “I was immediately turned around when he told me that his daughter-in-law was seriously injured. She is 25 years old and now fighting for her life.”

He hopes to ease the suffering of all victims with music, says Swanholt. “If people find love and peace in their hearts, we can find each other and change the situation,” says the deeply religious gardener with a smile that cannot disguise his sadness. “We need God to get us through this.” He puts his trumpet to his mouth and starts playing again.

Car on tram track

Flowers are also laid and candles are lit at the Altermarkt tram stop, in the middle of the old center of Magdeburg. Where yesterday crowds of people walked past the nativity scenes, a red and white ribbon has now been stretched. Police officers ensure that no one can enter the Christmas market.

This entrance is located on a tram track. Missing here are the large red and green painted concrete blocks that elsewhere blocked access to the Christmas market. This is the escape route that was open to emergency services in the event of an emergency. Apparently no one thought that someone would drive a car along the tram track to the market.

And that is exactly what happened on Friday evening, says an excited boy who orders chocolate ice cream with banana and whipped cream at the Venezia Ice Cream Parlor opposite the entrance to the market. The staff doesn’t say much about the incident that happened opposite the salon, but the boy doesn’t want to stop. “Just watch,” he says as he plays the video on his phone showing how fifty-year-old doctor and psychotherapist Taleb A., from Saudi Arabia, drives into the market at high speed and mows away everything in his path.

“Then watch,” he says again as he watches the videos on his phone intensively. “He also had a bomb with him,” says the boy, who apparently does not know that the police later determined that a suspicious package in Taleb A.’s car did not contain explosives.

“There’s a demo tonight. Down there,” he says, pointing, and then he dives back into his phone. The demonstration was announced by a group of right-wing extremists. To keep the group away from the official commemoration, the police will be present en masse in the city center at the end of the afternoon.

Five pastors

From six o’clock in the evening, the square in front of the Magdeburg Cathedral fills up with people who want to commemorate the attack. The special Christmas lights are off, the atmosphere is serene. People who do not have a candle with them are given one in their hands and wait in front of a large screen for the start of a memorial service. It’s drizzling.

Exactly at seven o’clock, organ music fills the square and the ecumenical church service for the victims of the attack begins, with five pastors from different Christian churches speaking. In the front row sit authorities and politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz. There are also many rescue workers present who worked through Friday evening and night.

At 7:04 PM, exactly 24 hours after Taleb A. started his deadly ride in a rented BMW, the music stops and everyone stands. After the silence, the pastors speak one by one. “The ground has disappeared from under our feet,” says one of them. He asks God for help in dealing with the consequences of the attack.

Another pastor quotes St. Francis of Assisi: “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” That is why candles are lit during the service. To commemorate the victims, support the relatives and the injured, thank the first responders and help the Magdeburg citizens. Mayor Simone Borris expresses her gratitude for the support the city has received from all over Germany. “We are having a hard time, but that support helps us come together.”

Christmas is next week, it sounds in the church. “And we should celebrate that, especially now,” says one of the pastors. “Christmas is the festival of peace. We need that to keep the heart free from hatred.” The service is over by eight o’clock. It is dry again and the people on the square slowly find their way, often in silence.

At the same time, several hundred right-wing extremists demonstrated in the center of Magdeburg. The tone is very different there. Racist slogans are shouted. On a banner that the demonstrators carry with them are two words in German: ‘Remigration now!’

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