Germany: Arsonists target COVID vaccine center

A group of men threw Molotov cocktails at a COVID vaccination center in the eastern German state of Saxony, local police said on Wednesday.

The arson attempt — which took place on Tuesday evening in the small German town of Eich — caused no damage to the building, after the bottles thrown failed to catch fire. 

No injuries were reported at the site.

Suspects flee in vehicle

German police are currently on the lookout for three suspected arsonists. The trio was last spotted by witnesses fleeing the scene in a red automobile, the dpa news agency reported.

According to authorities, the vaccine center's security guards spotted three men who threw beer bottles filled with flammable liquid at one of the doors of the center.

Police spokesperson Jan Meinl told local public broadcaster MDR that luckily the damage was minimal, "but a lot more could have happened."

It was unclear whether the crime was motivated by vaccine skeptics.

Meinl said the incident was the first of its kind in the town. However, earlier in March and April, two vaccination centers in the area were targeted in a series of vandalism attacks carried out by suspected anti-vaxxers.

During those incidents, vandals spray-painted phrases like "mutant toilet" and "poison storehouse" on buildings on site.

The vaccine center in Eich is one of 13 temporary centers that were set up in Saxony to facilitate the administration of vaccines during the pandemic. All of the makeshift facilities are set to close at the end of September.

After the closures, residents can get still be vaccinated against the coronavirus at doctors' clinics.

Vaccine skepticism

The eastern German state of Saxony has the lowest vaccination rate in Germany, with 56.3% of the state's eligible population receiving at least one dose of a COVID-19 shot.

In a study published in June this year, researchers at the Dresden University of Technology investigated vaccine skepticism in the state and found "a significant proportion of those older than 18" were "still decidedly skeptical" about vaccination.

go/sms (dpa, MDR)