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Magdeburg Christmas Market Put On Hold After State Office Rejects Security Plan

The timing coincides with the opening of the trial over last year's deadly vehicle attack.

Overview

  • Saxony-Anhalt’s regional administrative office forbade the city to approve the current concept, citing shortcomings in access protection and deployment of security personnel.
  • A seven-page critique demands entry checks and certified vehicle barriers capable of stopping vehicles up to 7.5 tons.
  • Mayor Simone Borris told a special city council session that the city will withhold approval for now in line with the authority’s instruction.
  • The market’s organizer rejects central demands as impractical, including fully fencing the site and assuming blanket responsibility for attacks.
  • City officials say they will work with the state on a solution, noting that similar measures were not required for Magdeburg’s 2025 city festival.