Germany's Green Party files complaint against far-right activist Martin Sellner

Germany's Green Party has initiated legal action against Martin Sellner, a prominent figure in the far-right Identitarian Movement. The complaint stems from Sellner's dissemination of an image on social media platform X, depicting the alleged perpetrator of the recent attack at Berlin's Christopher Street Day event. The image was manipulated to resemble a Green Party election poster.

Sellner's doctored image featured the suspect, identified as Abdul B., with the slogan "Mama, please vote for me." It also included the supposed campaign call "All votes Green" and a link to the Green Party's website in Bavaria. This provocative act has drawn a strong rebuke from the Green Party.

Pegah Edalatian, the Green Party's General Secretary, described Sellner's actions as "perfidious." She stated that it is unacceptable for far-right extremists to exploit the situation by creating fake election posters to stir political sentiment. "We consistently act against radical Islamism and at the same time decisively oppose queer-hostility and right-wing extremism," Edalatian told DIE ZEIT, emphasizing that both are threats to Germany's liberal democracy.

The incident occurred following an attack on Saturday evening, where a 21-year-old Islamist drove a van into a crowd at the Christopher Street Day event in Berlin's Tiergarten. The attack resulted in one fatality and 29 injuries, some severe. The suspect was shot and killed by police after initially fleeing the scene. German domestic intelligence services classify the Austrian-born Sellner as a key figure in the far-right spectrum and note his connections to the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.