Former German finance minister pelted with shaving foam

Christian Lindner was pelted with foam

Former German Finance Minister Christian Lindner was pelted with foam by a protester on Thursday during a campaign by his pro-business liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP). 

Ch. Lindner was hit in the face with what looked like a cake made of shaving foam, according to several videos posted online from the scene of the incident. They were also posted on the social platform X by Ch. Lindner on X.

The politician tasted the buttery substance and continued his speech. "Unfortunately, it's not cream, it's just soap", he joked while wiping his face. Lindner. "I could have done better, at least I would have got something out of it", he added.

The former Finance Minister was speaking to a small audience at an election event in the northeastern university town of Greifswald. A woman who was pelted with foam cake was thrown to the floor by his security guards, which is also visible in the video. 

From a short distance, the woman said, "Dear Mr Lindner," before throwing the cake directly into his face. A little foam for Ch. Lindner threw some of the foam on the woman's hair. 

The FDP spokeswoman called the incident an unacceptable assault

Ch. Mr Lindner said he planned to continue his campaign events as planned, including a performance in the nearby Baltic Sea port city of Rostock. 

Following the dismissal of Chancellor Olaf Scholz in November, Chancellor Lindner has been working on some issues. Lindner's resignation in November led to the collapse of the fragile three-party ruling coalition, and early elections will be held on February 23. Polls show that voter support for the FDP is hovering around the 5% threshold needed to enter the German parliament.

Based on ELTA reports