Stabbed Cologne mayor mourns Jo Cox death
The mayor of Cologne, who was stabbed in the neck by a far-right fanatic last autumn, has spoken of her pain at hearing of the murder of British MP Jo Cox.
“The death of Jo Cox has really affected me. Xenophobic slogans inevitably lead to violence,” Henriette Reker, who was elected mayor of Cologne in 2015, tweeted.
Der Tod von Jo Cox geht mir wirklich nahe. Ausländerfeindliche Parolen münden unweigerlich in Gewalt. (1/2).
— Henriette Reker (@HenrietteReker) June 16, 2016
“We all bear responsibility that such a situation never happens again in Germany or in Europe,” she wrote as a follow up.
Wir alle tragen Verantwortung, dass es in Deutschland und Europa nie wieder so weit kommt. (2/2) HR
— Henriette Reker (@HenrietteReker) June 16, 2016
Cox, an MP for the Labour party, was shot and stabbed multiple times on Thursday in her local constituency.
Police later arrested a 52-year-old man who is reported to have cried "Britain first" during his attack, a possible reference to a far-right UK political party of the same name.
The attack came days before Britain votes in a historic referendum on whether it wants to remain part of the European Union or not.
Cox was a supporter of the "Remain" campaign, and had also been an outspoken advocate for Syrian refugees.
Reker was herself stabbed while campaigning to become mayor in October last year.
A 44-year-old man, whom prosecutors accuse of having neo-Nazi beliefs, is currently on trial for the attack.
He has described Reker during his testimony as "a completely deluded, far-left, fancy pants ideologue" and is believed to have been angered by her support for refugees coming to Germany.
The assault shocked Germany at a time of growing division over the government's decision to open its doors to people fleeing war and misery, with more than one million arrivals last year alone.
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“The death of Jo Cox has really affected me. Xenophobic slogans inevitably lead to violence,” Henriette Reker, who was elected mayor of Cologne in 2015, tweeted.
Der Tod von Jo Cox geht mir wirklich nahe. Ausländerfeindliche Parolen münden unweigerlich in Gewalt. (1/2).
— Henriette Reker (@HenrietteReker) June 16, 2016
“We all bear responsibility that such a situation never happens again in Germany or in Europe,” she wrote as a follow up.
Wir alle tragen Verantwortung, dass es in Deutschland und Europa nie wieder so weit kommt. (2/2) HR
— Henriette Reker (@HenrietteReker) June 16, 2016
Cox, an MP for the Labour party, was shot and stabbed multiple times on Thursday in her local constituency.
Police later arrested a 52-year-old man who is reported to have cried "Britain first" during his attack, a possible reference to a far-right UK political party of the same name.
The attack came days before Britain votes in a historic referendum on whether it wants to remain part of the European Union or not.
Cox was a supporter of the "Remain" campaign, and had also been an outspoken advocate for Syrian refugees.
Reker was herself stabbed while campaigning to become mayor in October last year.
A 44-year-old man, whom prosecutors accuse of having neo-Nazi beliefs, is currently on trial for the attack.
He has described Reker during his testimony as "a completely deluded, far-left, fancy pants ideologue" and is believed to have been angered by her support for refugees coming to Germany.
The assault shocked Germany at a time of growing division over the government's decision to open its doors to people fleeing war and misery, with more than one million arrivals last year alone.
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