Wagenknecht, a self-described "left conservative," platforms on left-wing economic policy and a restrictive approach to migration.
ADVERTISEMENTGerman leftist politician Sahra Wagenknecht was sprayed with a red liquid-like paint during a campaign event on Thursday in the eastern city of Erfurt, ahead of closely watched state elections on Sunday.
Wagenknecht, founder of the eponymous Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW), was only lightly splattered by the liquid but briefly left the stage, according to German news agency dpa.
A man was immediately pushed to the ground by security forces, handcuffed and taken away. Wagenknecht returned to the stage and later wrote on the social media platform X that she was scared but fine.
While no one was injured in Erfurt, the incident comes as political violence in Germany is on the rise. In May, a prominent Berlin politician was violently assaulted and suffered injuries to her head and neck.
Before that, a candidate from the centre-left party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz SPD was beaten up in the eastern city of Dresden while campaigning and had to undergo surgery.
Both government and opposition parties say their members and supporters have faced a wave of physical and verbal attacks in recent months and have called on police to step up protection for politicians and election rallies.
Wagenknecht was campaigning in Thuringia, one of two eastern states along with Saxony that are holding elections on Sunday, which could see the far-right Alternative for Germany (AFD) become the strongest party for the first time.
But Wagenknecht, who formally launched her party in January, also hopes to shake up the picture as the national government has squabbled its way to deep unpopularity.
High ratings for AfD and BSW, both at their strongest in the formerly communist east, have been fed in part by discontent with the national government.
The parties in Scholz’s governing alliance squabbled publicly throughout the campaign for the European elections in June and obtained dismal results. The internal hostilities have intensified over a summer plagued by disagreements about the 2025 budget.
Wagenknecht, a self-described "left conservative" platforms on a combination of left-wing economic policy, with high wages and generous benefits, and a restrictive approach to migration.
She also questions some environmentalists' plans to combat climate change and opposes current sanctions against Russia, which was once Germany's leading gas supplier, and Berlin's arms supplies to Ukraine.
She has declared that her party will only join state governments with a "clear position for diplomacy and against the preparation of war".