Several German states and cities said they are tightening security at Christmas markets in the wake of the Magdeburg attack that killed 5 people and injured 200 others.
In the capital, Berlin, the state interior minister said police would “increase their presence at the city’s Christmas markets” as a precautionary measure.
Other states, including Hesse, Bremen, Lower Saxony, Rhineland-Palatinate and Schleswig-Holstein said they had also stepped up security measures.
The eastern city of Leipzig said its mountain parade would take place on Saturday alongside the Christmas market, and that additional officers and vehicles have been deployed.
Markus Lewe, President of the German Association of Cities, explained that the cities take “terror warnings from the authorities very seriously and regularly adjust the security measures on site.”
“[At the same time] despite the high level of effort, protection can never be absolute,” Lewe stressed.
Despite calls from some quarters for Christmas markets to be closed early, Albert Ritter, president of the German Showmen’s Association said it would send the “wrong signal.”
“The way we celebrate [Christmas with] them is a sign of living democracy and peaceful coexistence,” Ritter told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
A minute’s silence is planned at all Christmas markets in Germany on Saturday at 7 p.m. local time (0600 UTC/GMT)
