Mobile phone footage has surfaced showing the moments before a violent attack on a German mother holding her 12-day-old infant by another woman, reportedly of Syrian origin, following a children’s dispute on a playground in Kronach, Upper Franconia.
The incident, which occurred on Easter Sunday, has sparked a police investigation involving allegations of dangerous bodily harm and incitement to hatred.
The 20-second video, obtained by NIUS and shared briefly on social media by the father of one of the children at the playground before being taken down, shows the Syrian woman approaching the German mother, who is holding her newborn.
Seconds later, chaos erupts. According to the injured woman and her husband, the confrontation escalated into a physical assault involving multiple family members, leaving several people injured.
A Syrian woman attacks a German mother holding her 12-day-old baby following a dispute at a playground on Easter Sunday. pic.twitter.com/zinOILcUAO
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The incident is believed to have been triggered by an earlier argument between two children — reportedly a 10-year-old German girl and a 12- to 13-year-old Syrian girl — which then drew in their families. According to police, three mothers and their children became involved in the subsequent altercation. A 36-year-old bystander who tried to intervene was also injured.
“As a result, there was a verbal and then a physical altercation between a total of three mothers and their children. In addition to those involved, a 36-year-old woman also suffered injuries, who intervened to mediate between the families of German and Syrian origin,” the police stated.
Police confirmed that the mother of the 6-year-old boy involved in the initial playground dispute suffered injuries during the clash, as did her newborn, who was taken to the hospital with a suspected concussion.
The father later published the footage on Facebook, writing: “We wish you a happy Easter. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a nice one.” The video went viral and received a number of comments that could be classed in Germany as hate speech, leading to its removal and a statement from the father which read, “We have nothing against foreigners.”
Investigators from the Coburg Criminal Investigation Department seized the father’s phone and launched a probe into possible incitement to hatred under German law. Authorities cited both the content of the video and online reactions as grounds for the investigation.
“Comments and contributions by the account owner are being investigated for incitement to hatred,” said a spokesperson for the Upper Franconia police.
Meanwhile, the broader altercation remains under active investigation by the Kronach Police and Coburg CID, with multiple individuals facing scrutiny for suspected dangerous bodily harm and insult.
No arrests are believed to have been made.