One day after a suspected attack on a housing project in Cottbus, the Greens discovered a broken window at their office in the city. In addition, according to their account, a rainbow flag was stolen. Whether there is a link between the incident at the housing project and the attack remains unclear.
Unknown individuals destroyed a window of the district party office during the night in a manner that remains unclear, over a pane measuring two meters by one meter, according to a police spokesperson. “The state security unit is involved in the investigation.” The state security unit generally checks whether a politically motivated motive underlies a crime.
Greens: “We will not be intimidated”
The Greens suspect a political motive. “We are quite convinced of that,” said the spokesperson for the state association, Mike Kess. The Cottbus Greens chief Daniel Scholz stated: “It is cowardly to attack a political meeting place under the cover of night.” The Green shop will stay open. “We will not be intimidated and will continue to work for democracy, diversity and a solidaristic city community.”
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The Brandenburg Greens lawmaker Andrea Lübcke, who sits in the Bundestag, called the attack a setback for the structural transformation: “Right-wing violence and intimidation damage the city’s reputation far beyond Cottbus.”
Suspected arson attack on housing project
In the night leading into Thursday, Molotov cocktails were thrown at the alternative housing project “Zelle 79” in Cottbus (TheColu.mn reported). The state security service and a homicide squad are investigating the case on suspicion of attempted murder. Police say two men, described as black-clad and aged between 15 and 20, are suspects. One resident filmed the pair. Police believe the attackers come from the far-right extremist spectrum. A rainbow flag was hanging at the housing project at the time of the attack in celebration of Pride Month.
According to police, witnesses are being questioned and video footage is being reviewed. Bottles containing flammable liquid had been recovered. Investigators are also examining a possible arson near the building at the nearby club “Chekov,” where a fence plank burned. Police say several spray bottles were found there. There are currently active campaigns for Christopher Street Day (CSD) in Cottbus, scheduled for July 11.
Cottbus is regarded as a hub of right-wing extremism in Brandenburg. In the spring, an antisemitic slogan and a black swastika were sprayed on the synagogue in the city’s pedestrian zone. There were also other threats, including to the home of a student pastor who campaigns against right-wing extremism. In the February 2025 federal election, the far-right AfD captured 39 percent of the vote in the city and emerged as by far the strongest party, while the also-queer-hostile BSW, which had recently been disinvited from several CSD events, garnered roughly twelve percent. (dk)
