A 17-year-old boy who allegedly attacked SPD politician Ecke is probably part of the far-right “Elbland Revolt”. These groups attract teenagers.

On May 1, hundreds of people gather in Dresden for demonstrations and rallies. The AfD is also present Photo: Benedict Bartsch/imago

SEDAN taz | The attack on SPD politician Matthias Ecke in Dresden appears to be the result of recent events in the far-right sector. There seems to be a growing number of groups influenced by teenagers. Among these groups is one of the four alleged perpetrators who seriously injured the top candidate of the Saxon SPD for the European elections on May 3 in Dresden. According to several media outlets, he is said to be a member of a far-right group called “Elblandrevolte”. This is the 17-year-old who turned himself in to police on Sunday.

Apparently, the “Elbland revolt” is still quite new. Since February there has been a profile on Instagram in which the group presents itself as “young people from here” or “young people without migratory origin.” According to his own image, he tries to win over young people with excursions and darts evenings.

The profile of “Elblandrevolte” is related to many other far-right groups. And according to information from the taz, the 17-year-old suspect is one of the 700 followers.

In an image from mid-April, the group poses in front of the Bautzen train station. A banner also shows the Internet address of the “Young Nationalists”, the youth organization of the far-right NPD party, which is now called “Die Heimat”.

Visit to the AfD election campaign

The group is said to have traveled to a far-right rally in Bautzen on Monday. According to the website addn.me (“Alternative Dresden News”), he attacked and threatened other train passengers on the return journey. According to an investigation by Dresden Antifa, the 17-year-old was on this trip and also at a far-right Free Saxons demonstration on May 1 in Dresden. That day the group later moved to an AfD event, MDR also reports. Among those present were AfD president Tino Chrupalla and AfD's main candidate for the European elections, Maximilian Krah.

According to estimates by the Saxon Cultural Office, which for many years has been advising local initiatives to counter extreme right-wing structures, the hard core of the Elbland revolt only consists of about ten people. It is “one of many far-right groups in Saxony, in which young people play a key role.” According to the cultural office, the activities of these groups have increased considerably in recent months.