Germany: Women attacked at anti-Islamophobia event

COLOGNE, Germany

An event meant to raise awareness of Islamophobia in Germany on Saturday was the scene of a violent attack, according to the head of the event organizer.

At the Support Diversity event in the southern city of Ulm, organized by the Turkish-Muslim association IGMG, a man shouted "I will kill you" in English and tried to attack women taking part in the event with a knife.

The attack was blocked at the last second, and apparently no one was hurt.

Bekir Altas, head of the IGMG, condemned the attack coming at a peaceful event organized to draw attention to racism and Islamophobia.

At a stand set up at the event, the man “first verbally attacked our girls there, and then attacked our staff with a knife," he told Anadolu Agency.

Altas added that the attacker had been taken into custody and that police are investigating the incident.

Germany, a country of over 81 million people, has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe after France. Among the country’s nearly 4.7 million Muslims, 3 million are of Turkish origin.

COLOGNE, Germany

An event meant to raise awareness of Islamophobia in Germany on Saturday was the scene of a violent attack, according to the head of the event organizer.

The attack was blocked at the last second, and apparently no one was hurt.

Bekir Altas, head of the IGMG, condemned the attack coming at a peaceful event organized to draw attention to racism and Islamophobia.

At a stand set up at the event, the man “first verbally attacked our girls there, and then attacked our staff with a knife," he told Anadolu Agency.

Altas added that the attacker had been taken into custody and that police are investigating the incident.