A political activist and critic of Islam, Micheal Stürzenberger, was stabbed in the southwest German city of Mannheim during a rally for the Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa, which opposes religious laws and supports protecting the freedom to criticize religious groups. 

Videos of the incident, according to CBS News, were shared on social media. Stefanie Kizina, colleague of Stürzenberger, told a local reporter that he was undergoing emergency surgery after being stabbed in the face and leg, but none of the injuries was life-threatening. 

Mannheim police said in a statement that several other people were also injured in the attack. A firearm was used against the attacker, who was injured as a result. 

The Citizens’ Movement Pax Europa describes itself as a “human rights organization for freedom and democracy against Islamization.”

The group says its objectives are to “protect not only the democratic, free and secular rule of law in our country but also to struggle for European culture based on the Judeo-Christian traditions and – especially – on the values of the Enlightenment."