Europe

Germany: Cologne incidents about 'criminality, not refugees'

Merkel vows to take harsher measures against criminals among asylum seekers, but warns against generalizing about refugees

Ayhan Şimşek  | 08.01.2016 - Update : 08.01.2016
Germany: Cologne incidents about 'criminality, not refugees'

Berlin

BERLIN

Germany has warned against a general suspicion of refugees in the aftermath of a spate of robberies and sexual assaults against women during New Year's Eve celebrations in Cologne.

“This is primarily about criminality, not about refugees,” deputy government spokesman Georg Streiter told reporters at a press conference in Berlin.

He said Chancellor Angela Merkel has demanded a full and transparent inquiry into the events, adding that the perpetrators would be prosecuted and face harsh sentences.

“Not doing that would have undermined the rule of law, and hurt the vast majority of respectable refugees who seek shelter with us,” Streiter said.

Local media reported this week that around 1,000 men, mostly Arab and North African refugees, divided themselves into smaller groups at Cologne’s central station on New Year’s Eve.

There were reports that a number of these groups sexually harassed women there and stole money and cell phones.

Germany’s far–right and populist parties have used the events to attack Chancellor Merkel’s open-door policy for refugees.

Under growing pressure, Merkel has promised an investigation into the allegations and signaled that her government may consider changes in legislation to make it easier for authorities to deport foreigners who commit serious crimes.

Nearly a week after the events at Cologne’s main train station, the composition of the groups met there on New Year’s Eve and their motives remain unclear.

Cologne police received at least 121 criminal complaints this week due to the events at main train station; three-quarters of these were sexual assault complaints, according to local media.

German Interior Ministry spokesman Tobias Plate said Friday that the federal police have so far identified 31 suspects.

Nine Algerians, eight Moroccans, five Iranians, four Syrians, one Iraqi, one Serbian, one U.S. and two German citizens were among these suspects.

Plate said 18 of the suspects were asylum seekers, but added that they were not suspected of sexual assault but of robbery and causing bodily harm.

He dismissed criticism that the federal police, who are responsible for security within central train stations, was understaffed on New Year’s Eve.

Local media have accused both the federal and Cologne police of being unprepared.

Amid growing public pressure, North Rhine Westphalia’s Interior Minister Ralf Jager announced Friday that he removed Cologne’s police department chief, Wolfgang Albers, from office.

“My decision has become necessary to regain the confidence of the people,” he said in a statement.

Germany is shouldering the largest part of Europe’s refugee crisis and Chancellor Merkel’s coalition government is facing growing public criticism due to its liberal policy.

The EU's biggest economy has received a record 1.1 million refugees in 2015, and Syrians were the largest group with 428,000, followed by 154,000 Afghans and 121,000 Iraqis.

The surge in asylum applications in Germany has been exploited by far-right and populist parties that organize weekly rallies against immigration across the country.

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