At the spontaneous shrine marking the place where Daniel Hillig died flowers spill over the pavement amid the candles and handwritten messages.

It could be a memorial to a victim of street crime the world over. But among the messages from mourners are also threats for Germany’s politicians: “Take away their knives,” one says, “or we will take away your jobs”.

Ever since two migrants were arrested on suspicion of killing Hillig, a 35-year-old carpenter last weekend, his death has become far more than just another street crime statistic. It has shaken German society, and brought forces many believed were a thing of the past back into the open.  

For several hours on Monday, authorites appeared…