Henriette Reker
Henriette Reker (born 9 December 1956) is a German lawyer and independent politician. In 2015 she was elected mayor of Cologne after gaining 52.66% of the votes.[1]
Biography[edit]
Political career[edit]
Born in in Cologne, Reker has been mayoral deputy of Gelsenkirchen since 2000, when in 2010 she was appointed a mayoral deputy for social affairs, integration and the environment of the city of Cologne. Supported by the CDU, FDP, and The Greens she ran for Mayor of Cologne in October 2015.[2]
Assassination attempt[edit]
At a public event on 17 October 2015, the day before the mayoral election, Reker was seriously wounded when a 44-year old man stabbed her in the neck with a knife,[3] while shouting against refugees.[4] State prosecutors confirmed the attack to be politically motivated,[5] after the perpetrator “confessed to having xenophobic motives.” A member of Cologne's municipal administration, Reker is currently responsible for the housing and integration of refugees.[4] Her aide was also hurt in the attack as well as a few other people who tried to subdue her attacker.[6]
References[edit]
- ^ City of Cologne: Oberbuergermeisterwahl, retrieved 19 October 2015
- ^ "Die Frau, die an ihrer Stadt leidet" in Die Welt, 17 October 2015
- ^ "Cologne mayoral candidate Henriette Reker seriously hurt in knife attack". Deutsche Welle. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ a b Lizzie Dearden (17 October 2015). "German mayoral candidate Henriette Reker stabbed in neck by man 'shouting about refugees' in Cologne". The Independent. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "'Xenophobic' stabbing of Cologne mayoral candidate". Deutsche Welle. 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
- ^ "German Mayoral Candidate Stabbed In Neck". Sky News. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
External links[edit]
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Henriette Reker. |
- Official website (German) (English)
- Curriculum vitae on the website of the City of Cologne (German)