Berlin: attack leaves thousands without power
An arson attack on Saturday has left tens of thousands of households in south-west Berlin without electricity, heat or hot meals. A far-left activist group called the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) has claimed responsibility, saying its aim was 'to cut off the power feeding the powerful'. The power supply is expected to be restored gradually today. What does the attack say about the state of the country?
A country suffering from multiple organ failure
Kronen Zeitung criticises the state of German society:
“The government is no longer capable of organising, it has lost its power to govern, its staff is second-rate: a multiple organ failure. Germany ceased to be the best in class in Europe when Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was ousted in 1982. ... When here in Austria we accuse politicians and authorities of not doing their job, we should keep the situation in Germany in mind. It doesn't help, but it's somehow reassuring.”
Trust in the state undermined
The authorities must take action because if they don't, others will, warns European Pravda:
“Power outages covering such large areas not only cause economic damage but also create serious social problems by undermining confidence in the ability of state and private structures to protect the interests of citizens in an emergency. ... Strengthening security measures in the area of infrastructure, ensuring the rapid response of security agencies and, above all, developing effective strategies to prevent more such incidents must become priorities. ... Otherwise, other extremists - only this time from the right - will present society with their own plan for dealing with these problems.”