There is sadness here – but there is also anger.
Many people here see this attack as a terrible security lapse. That’s a claim authorities reject, although they have admitted the attacker entered the market using a route designated for emergency services.
Michael, who also came to pay his respects to the victims, said “there should have been better security”.
“We should have been better prepared, but it wasn’t done right.”
Standing at the security cordon, I heard a group of locals loudly complaining about German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and regional politicians.
“They are wasting our tax money, they only care about themselves. We don’t care about them. We only listen to empty promises,” said one man.
“They are turning around what happened here and want to put the blame on the opposition and use it for their election campaign,” he said.
On Saturday evening, around the same time as the square in front of Magdeburg’s Gothic cathedral was filled with mourners watching a memorial service, demonstrations took place nearby.
Protesters held a banner that read “Remigration now!” – a concept popular among the far right – and shouted “those who don’t like Germany should leave Germany”.
