A reporter from Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) was attacked by a man on the sidelines of a press conference on a campaign for corona vaccination in Munich. The reporter had filed a complaint for assault, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.
The incident happened on Tuesday at a press conference held by Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) on a campaign for booster vaccinations in the middle of Marienplatz.
According to the information, during an open question and answer session, “a 23-year-old who was already known to the police” from Munich attacked journalists and insulted them “as traitors to the people and vaccination terrorists”.
After being sent off, the man came back later, according to the police – and is said to have hit the 38-year-old journalist in the face. He was arrested, according to the police, he also insulted the officials – and was reported for bodily harm, disturbance of public peace, threats and insults.
According to BR, the man attacked the reporter with several punches on the head on Tuesday when he was interviewing the listener. After employees of a security service had pushed the man back, the attacker ambushed the reporter on the way to the car and attacked him again with punches.
BR director Katja Wildermuth condemned the attack on Wednesday. “Every attack on journalists is also an attack on freedom of the press.” BR editor-in-chief Christian Nitsche spoke of the most serious attack on a BR colleague to date.
Reporters were verbally attacked again and again during the corona pandemic at demonstrations. “The current violent attack goes beyond this dimension,” said Nitsche.
Health Minister Holetschek called for the background to the attack to be clarified quickly on Wednesday. Every violent attack on journalists is also an attack on democracy, said Holetschek. “The media must be able to report freely without fear of intimidation.”
Discussions are important in the debate about the right course of action in the corona pandemic. However, Holetschek emphasized that insults should be avoided. “But anyone who stirs up hatred on the Internet, for example, shares responsibility for acts of violence.”
