After a family from the German state of Saxony participated in farmer protests, their property was hit with an arson attack that destroyed numerous vehicles. Now, police are investigating the possibility that the attack was politically motivated.
The unidentified perpetrators set fire to a tractor on Sunday morning at a farm located in Oelsnitz, with the fire spreading to a manure trailer, a car, and a tractor-trailer, leading to all four vehicles being engulfed in flames. The damage totals over €500,000 for the family farm.
Police are looking at a political motive, as on the barn door was written: “Stop the blockade, otherwise everything will burn,” in black graffiti. The family was known to be active in the farmer protests that hit Germany earlier last month, with many roads blockaded, leading to major transportation delays. The protests have become a hot-button political issue, with left-liberal politicians attempting to connect the protesters with right-wing “influence” groups.
Investigators continue to collect evidence and assume it was a case of arson.
“What is certain at this point is that the vehicles that burned out there were set on fire,” said the spokesman for the Chemnitz Police Department, Andrzej Rydzi.
Some X users blamed the government’s rhetoric for the attack, writing: “For weeks, the government has been inciting people to ‘fight against the right,’ with anyone who doesn’t support the left-wing extremist positions of the mainstream becoming an enemy. A farmer in Oelsnitz had to experience this on Sunday night when he became the victim of an arson attack.”
The family has begun a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe, which has raised €52,000.
An association representing farmers also condemned the attack.
“It must not and cannot be the case that people who take to the streets, who probably also have a different opinion — whether justified or perhaps unjustified — have to fear for their business existence or perhaps even for their families,” said Marc Bernhardt, a spokesperson for the Land Creates Connections (LSV) association.