German politician in hospital after being attacked during campaign
Election posters from various parties are hanging on the lamp posts along Schandauer Strasse in Dreden Striesen. The leading Saxon SPD candidate for the European elections, Matthias Ecke, has been attacked and seriously injured while putting up posters in the Dresden district of Striesen. Lucas Friedenhain/xcitepress/dpa

A German politician was attacked and seriously injured by four assailants while putting up campaign posters in the eastern German city of Dresden late on Friday evening, according to police. Matthias Ecke, 41, is a member of the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and a current lawmaker in the European Parliament. Ecke was taken to hospital for treatment following the attack and will require surgery. Ecke is the SPD's top candidate for the upcoming European Parliament elections in the eastern German state of Saxony. Police said they have not identified the attackers. A special state violent cri...