Europe’s far right seizes on Magdeburg attack to hammer migration, Islam

A firestorm of far-right fury ignited around Europe on Friday night after a driver crashed into festive revelers killing at least two people at a Christmas market in eastern Germany.

Leading right-wing figures from Geert Wilders in the Netherlands to Nigel Farage in Britain to Marine Le Pen in France seized on the harrowing smash to push an anti-immigrant and anti-Islam agenda, as hard-right parties gather momentum around the continent.

Beyond Europe, Elon Musk — the tech billionaire and key adviser to U.S. president-elect Donald Trump — weighed in with withering criticism of German authorities, urging Chancellor Olaf Scholz to resign.  

Magdeburg police reported late Friday that the suspect was a man from Saudi Arabia, which fueled the far-right anger. (German authorities had neither confirmed the violence was terrorism nor tied the suspect to any terror groups at the time of publication.)

Alice Weidel, chair of Germany’s anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, pointedly asked “When will this madness end?” while expressing her condolences for the victims of the attack.

The surging AfD, whose anti-immigrant message has in the past galvanized voters, is seeking to beef up support in the run-up to Germany’s Feb. 23 snap federal election. The far-right party is currently running second in polls and scored strongly in state elections earlier this year.

Wilders, the far-right Dutch politician who has pushed an anti-Islam and hardcore anti-migration message for years, called the incident “barbaric” and called for closed borders in Europe.

“Another barbaric attack in Europe — this time by a man from Saudi Arabia,” Wilders said. “Once again, an incredible number of innocent victims, dead and wounded, are to be mourned. Once again politicians crying crocodile tears. I’ve been saying it for over 20 years: stop with those open borders.”

French far-right figurehead Le Pen, who is eyeing her own chance to snatch power in Paris, also took aim at Islamism following the attack. 

“Once again, Islamist barbarity is sowing terror in the heart of Europe. This act of war against a symbol of our civilisation is heartbreaking,” Le Pen said, adding: “Our thoughts this evening are with the victims and families of this carnage perpetrated in the middle of the Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany.”

British politician Farage, one of the leading backers of Brexit and a longtime immigration critic, who has been a thorn in the side of the ruling center-left Labour Party, also blamed the violence on border policies, saying: “We have allowed people who hate us and our values into Europe. Christmas is their target. Any guesses why?”

X owner Elon Musk, who has been increasingly vocal in support of European far-right figures and endorsed Germany’s far-right AfD earlier Friday, reposted Farage’s tweet. 

Musk separately noted: “[German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz should resign immediately. Incompetent fool.”