Cologne attackers were of migrant origin - minister
Source: BBC
The men suspected of attacking women in Cologne on New Year's Eve were "almost exclusively" from a migration background, mainly North African and Arab, an official report says.
Cologne police also made "serious mistakes" in not calling reinforcements and the way they informed the public.
More than 500 criminal complaints were filed, 40% alleging sexual assault.
snip....
The report describes a modus operandi known as "taharrush gamea" in Arabic, meaning group sexual harassment in crowds, and compares it to incidents reported in Cairo's Tahrir Square at the time of the Egyptian revolution.
A joint federal and state working group has been set up to examine the phenomenon and how to combat it.
Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35280386?ocid=socialflow_twitter
The report is very critical of the hapless police and their failure to call for reinforcements on New Year's Eve.
Maybe the police and security forces should have researched the cultural background of the newcomers, and learned about "taharrush gamea" and put in place prevention/enforcement steps before hundreds of women were assaulted in one night.
kiva
(4,373 posts)the more we learn.
christx30
(6,241 posts)she'll combat it by stopping us from learning much more about it. "Investigations are ongoing."
Anyone that tries to get any more word out is going to be denounced.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)she made a horrible mistake, however I think her denial is making her even more unpopular than ever. If she took some action to deal with the situation instead of deflecting she would stem the tide of rising right wing sentiment. Her inaction is only fueling their rise.
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)This is from the Daily Mail, but it quotes Bild. Maybe someone who reads German could fetch the original and verify the content.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3393516/Syrian-ISIS-supporter-shot-dead-outside-Paris-police-station-arrested-sexually-assaulting-women-Cologne-taken-New-Year-s-Eve-attacks.html
The Syrian man shot dead by French police last week may have taken part in the sexual assaults in Cologne on New Year's Eve.
ISIS supporter Walid Salihi, believed to be in his late teens or early 20s, was arrested in 2014 in Cologne for sexually abusing women in a night club.
Salihi is said to have 'rubbed the behinds of females' and touched their 'intimate parts,' according to a German police report.
A friend of Salihi was arrested after the Cologne mass attacks, where hundreds of women were sexually assaulted, leading to suspicion that he may have been part of the mob on New Years Eve before travelling to France, Bild newspaper reports.
Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)This is the guy that was decorating the refugee shelter with the ISIS flag. He also stabbed another refugee at the shelter with a knife.
The situation is out of control. I think the current count is that he had been registered seven times as a refugee - not always in Germany, but still. The guy had more aliases than a bank robber.
He also had a train of offenses.
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)part of the world to immigrate without going through a rigorous cultural re-education class.
Coventina
(26,844 posts)are acceptable, then don't let them in AT ALL!!!!!
I don't trust efforts to "re-educate" them.
frizzled
(509 posts)Just saying, it's easy to forget how fast progress has been made in the West, and believe it somehow reflects a fixed essence of religions or cultures when it's more about an accident of history.
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)sacrifice.
And we won't go back. As a feminist, I have worked LONG and HARD for my freedoms, and I demand that young women have it better than I did, with not one whit of backsliding. Hell No I won't give up a single iota of progress in the name of tolerating Islam.
Merkel will either respond strongly to restore women's freedom and safety, or the election consequences will be dire.
Coventina
(26,844 posts)CharlotteVale
(2,717 posts)Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)whathehell
(28,968 posts)I think it's also a result of those struggles taking place in democratic societies which allows them to grow and take root in the society. Most in the Arab world have never lived in a democratic society.
Babel_17
(5,400 posts)She did say that "Multiculturalism leads to parallel societies and therefore remains a life lie, .
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/12/14/angela-merkel-multiculturalism-is-a-sham/
I think she means that in the sense of what it can represent in the cessation of enforcing basic rules across society as a whole. We all celebrate the beauty that diversity brings. But Western societies have advanced in many ways, and we aren't going to negotiate that away so as to appease a "parallel society".
Multiculturalism can work fine when everyone is in accord with living under the same necessary, enlightened, rules.
I think Merkel wants to avoid feeding the xenophobes, and is willing to slow walk the release of government reports in support of that.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Yo_Mama
(8,303 posts)these rights to be eroded. We won't. That's all there is to it.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)MosheFeingold
(3,051 posts)The list could be long: honor killings, rape, hatred of Jews, hatred of homosexuals, death to those who leave Islam, etc.
Calling someone an "apostate" brings on the person calling said apostate to Islam a specific curse if incorrect.
I keep being told that all of the above is "unIslamic" even though the plurality of immigrants from Islamic countries (when polled) agree to it.
Well, if it is "unIslamic" they need to call those people apostates to Islam.
Put their supposed eternal fate where their kind words are.
christx30
(6,241 posts)It's either unIslamic, and the people doing it need to stop or risk damnation, or it is Islamic, and Islam isn't compatible with Western Civilization.
katsy
(4,246 posts)Sharia law is incompatible... Incompatible with western culture and secular laws.
They should disavow sharia law in order to live under the secular laws of their host countries.
jonno99
(2,620 posts)in the US for certain municipalities to allow Sharia courts to be setup.
Seems crazy to me because you are right, regarding the rights of women especially, Sharia is incompatible with western culture ...
katsy
(4,246 posts)Throw equal protection under the law right out the window. It's wrong.
zeemike
(18,998 posts)Most of them are young men.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)What was Merkel thinking? Any population of idle young men are going to be a problem. Doubly so when they come from a culture that despises women and can't stand their independence.
question everything
(47,264 posts)Perhaps I am naive but, if you are a guest, seeking asylum, why would you jeopardize this?
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)German social media has exploded with stories like this one from DUer coyote:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=1307377
I can give you my 1st hand experience
I live in a town just south of Munich. There is refugee tent about 1-2 km from where I live. When I was walking down to the tram, a young blond girl about the age of 16 was walking in front of me. A group of refugees walking toward us started walking directly in front of the girl. When she moved right, they moved right, when she moved left, they moved left. They were purposely blocking her until I told them off. They laughed at me and thought it was a great laugh. The young girl took off as fast as she could.
This culture simply does not mix with German culture. The freedoms we once enjoyed have gone out the window and I truly feel sorry for the women here.
Imagine that -- refugees so callous and ungrateful toward their host country that they are intimidating teen girls on the street, for sport.
And imagine the host country's government unwilling to do a damn thing about it.
Even if the writer and the girl called the police and identified the culprits, they wouldn't be convicted of an offense that would result in deportation.
Even if the police catch and convict the Cologne assailants, they almost certainly won't receive long enough sentences (if any jailtime at all) to trigger deportation.
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)In all fundamentalist religions, women are less valuable than livestock.
whathehell
(28,968 posts)of women in western democratic societies, in whatever fundentalist religion they may choose to belong, is one of the more egregious attempts at false equivalence I've yet to encounter. here
awoke_in_2003
(34,582 posts)(Capitalized it because you appear to have missed it last time) preach in common is that the wife must submit to the husband. Some, like the Quiverfull, treat them like brood mares. If they could get away with doing what ISIS does, they would. They say they hate sharia, but they want to bring their own flavor of it to our government
FrodosPet
(5,169 posts)Even most of their co-religionists turn on them when they go from bullshit artists to action.
Yes, they want to control women's sexuality. Not cool. Here, in the west, even if there are still far too many obstacles and assholes, women have A LOT MORE freedom than women in traditional Islam.
whathehell
(28,968 posts)for stating what should be obvious.
whathehell
(28,968 posts)as you seemed to have missed it before. Yes, all fundie religions do that "submit to your husband" bit,
but that "mandate" has no legal corollary in Western democracies...The woman can leave
the marriage and the religion. That is NOT the case in a number of Islamic countries in.which Sharia law
is not just a religious law, but a civil one.as well. These misogynistic directives have the force of LAW in those countries.
Beyond that, I know of NO fundamentalist western..religion which condones or tolerates the practice of male gangs raping
or assaulting women on the street --Let's be real.
bbgrunt
(5,281 posts)whathehell
(28,968 posts)It's like.the difference between being angry enough to say "drop dead".and actually killing the person.
rockfordfile
(8,682 posts)Journeyman
(15,001 posts)Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)I had heard the reports from Tahrir Square in Egypt. I've also seen a survey where 63% of Egyptian men admit to harassing women in the street. Germany has just welcomed 750,000 mostly single young men from Arab culture in one year.
As geek tragedy said on another thread: "I think women in Berlin should be treated the same as women in Cairo" said no one ever.
This is a disaster for German women and the freedoms they've fought long and hard to win.
Journeyman
(15,001 posts)defined in the Oxford dictionary as "activity by a gang of youths of going on a protracted and violent rampage in a public place, attacking people at random."
Doesn't excuse anything, just shows it's not exclusive to any one society.
leftynyc
(26,060 posts)Maybe because NY cops cracked down and with a show of force it came to an end as quickly as the term started. Germany will have to do the same. A large show of force of police and punishment for those convicted. They also need to get a handle on the vetting of these immigrants. This episode is a complete disaster for anyone who wants to support their government taking in refugees and migrants. This is all the opposition has to bring up.
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)Leonid Bershidsky: After Cologne assaults, Germany faces the end of hands-off policing
http://natpo.st/1OUTjoW
...snipped a lot about how proud Germans have been about pretty lax policing at festivals, on trains, etc, and pretty much no one takes it too far......
This presents a new kind of threat to police. On Thursday, German newspapers published a leaked internal report from the Cologne police that described how officers found themselves helpless when faced with the mob. It was impossible to help every crime victim and apprehend the perpetrators, the report flatly stated. The senior officer who wrote the report added, The force encountered disrespect such as I have never experienced in 29 years of service.
Both the disrespect and the sense of being overmatched are new to the German police. For years, their live and let live attitude worked at the rowdiest festivals. People were grateful for the trust and freedom they were implicitly accorded and crime remained manageable even, arguably, at Oktoberfest. Now, this pact has been broken. The police report quotes a young man mocking an officer: I am Syrian! You have to treat me kindly, Mrs. Merkel invited me!
snip....
The point, however, isnt for the police to be tougher on immigrants but to create a safer environment for people during big festivals. One of these, the carnival, is coming in February, and preventing new outbreaks of crime means making sure officers are visible in public spaces and aggressive crowds are dispersed before damage is done. There would have to be less tolerance for public drunkenness and carelessness with fireworks. In other words, German policing would have to become more obtrusive. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere has called for more video surveillance in public places, and Germany can probably no longer get away with keeping a relatively small police force about 300 officers per 100,000 people, fewer than anywhere in eastern and southern Europe, though more than in the U.K. and Scandinavia.
There is a fine line between more forceful policing and a police state, especially for Germans eager to defend their freedoms after their respective experiences with the Nazis and Communists. It is, however, important for Germany to show to the worst of the newcomers that violence wont be tolerated. The current laissez-faire attitude doesnt send that message.
christx30
(6,241 posts)Just the fact that the officer didn't beat that guy to death should qualify him for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Just reading that made me want to punch him.
But, yes, the police are going to have to be more aggressive with their activities. Ms. Merkel unleashed a lot of problems on her people. They will not forgive her. And they can't get rid of her for another 20 months.
Can they do a vote of no confidence on her?
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)Along with #taharrushgamea
Yes, people are angry.
philosslayer
(3,076 posts)Lets say you have two groups. A group of Arabs and North Africans who are getting drunk and a little rowdy, and a group of native Germans who are getting drunk and a little rowdy. If the police are going to step up their policing, I would hope the two groups are treated equitably.
christx30
(6,241 posts)Last edited Mon Jan 11, 2016, 09:08 PM - Edit history (1)
And a little rowdy from Germans is ok, considering it probably happens a lot, with no ill effects, or international headlines. But what happened on New Years Eve is not going to be allowed to happen again. The police are going to be keeping a very close eye on the Arabs and North Africans. Some profiling is bound to happen, and probably should. With limited police resources, you keep an eye on the people that have a better chance of causing trouble.
The migrants always know where the door is if they aren't happy in Germany.
EL34x4
(2,003 posts)In the real world, in addition to being drunk and a little rowdy, one group in particular was sexually assaulting and robbing women. I would expect this group to receive a little extra attention from the police.
philosslayer
(3,076 posts)Where both were EQUALLY "rowdy". Which implies no criminal activity. Obvious lapsing into sexual assault would change the calculus.
christx30
(6,241 posts)New years eve were unprecedented, hence the relaxed attitude from the police. It was just when the Arab and North African men got there that it happened, and why the police were so overwhelmed. So, no, I don't think both groups deserve the same kind of attention from law enforcement. From the Germans, you might get a few DWIs. From the others? Well, we saw what they do.
And if Merkel is to have any hope whatsoever of keeping her job, she needs to come down hard, and stop trying to cover it up and stop trying to make excuses. She needs to put out a zero tolerance policy, with expulsion/blacklisting of troublemakers.
"We pulled you out of the rubble. You want to hurt people, we'll put you right back there."
Nihil
(13,508 posts)> stop trying to cover it up and stop trying to make excuses
There are a couple of DUers who also need to clean up their act with
regard to defending rapists/gropers and blaming victims ...
Democat
(11,617 posts)You can't claim to be liberal if you don't care at all about the rights of women.
whathehell
(28,968 posts)on the Central park jogger and it is reflects deviant behavior, not cultural mores. There's really no equivalence.
Babel_17
(5,400 posts)Can't find a link to the story. Sadly, googling for it seems to be crowded with more recent stories.
I remember him saying that it was just the normal impulses of young men (more or less).
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)DetlefK
(16,423 posts)This will be an ugly, ugly year.
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)The ugly didn't have to wait until warm weather.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/633850/Syrian-Emerge-attacks-Germany-Cologne-NYE-Merkel
A TEENAGE girl was surrounded and attacked in a swimming pool in the latest of a series shocking sex assaults emerging from Germany.
...snip...
Three teenagers aged 15 from Syria have been arrested for rape after a 17-year-old girl was attacked in a public swimming pool in Munich on Saturday.
The trio allegedly surrounded the teen, with one of the boys groping her under her swimming costume and penetrating her, making the sex attack rape under German law.
Because the asylum seekers were only 15, they were not remanded in custody and were released, and will be prosecuted under juvenile law.
christx30
(6,241 posts)were reversed. If it were a german boy that did that to a Syrian girl. There would no mercy for the german boy from the Merkel government. He would be tried as an adult and his life would be destroyed. But this one gets handled quietly, with minimum press.
It makes me sick the double standard, and lack of protection these people are getting from their government.
But as the father of a 7 year old girl, I have to say that I like you, Dems to Win. Your spirited defense of women's rights is nice to see, with no equivocation, like we see from others I might mention.
Them: Well, you know, it's their culture, and we could stand to be more sensitive...
You: Oh HELL no!
It's very refreshing to see. So, thank you.
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)I don't really know how a German boy who raped would be treated, most likely it would be the same. They are very reluctant to lock people up. Which has apparently worked for Germans, but offers no protection at all to German girls in these new circumstances. Will the parents of these Syrian boys even tell them they have done something wrong?
Thank you for the compliment. I've long said "I'm a feminist, not a multiculturalist." If a culture does not respect women, I don't respect that culture. (and I'm plenty willing to criticize my own culture). I believe in Universal Human Rights, with no exceptions for cultural traditions.
IMHO, Democrats need to stop being so PC on this issue, pronto. If Donald Trump is the only one to acknowledge that Muslim/Arab culture presents dangers when brought into our country, he will win the votes, hello President Trump. And that would make me very unhappy on a host of issues, not least my strong support for raising the minimum wage.
Bernin
(311 posts)needs to swing this door the other way and start exporting rather than importing these immigrants.
Also, I predict Chancellor Merkel will not make it to the next election. And, if she tries then human Merkel might not make it to her next birthday.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)This just goes to prove that she was very wrong all along. And she's still in denial.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)Sexual assaults by young male refugees has been epidemic in other european cities. The politicians and media have been hush-hush about it, because they don't want the populace to sour on the immigration policies.
Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)Last edited Wed Jan 13, 2016, 02:53 AM - Edit history (1)
whathehell
(28,968 posts)Was it not their prime minister who announced, after the Tube bombing, that "Multiculturalism doesn't work".?
MowCowWhoHow III
(2,103 posts)The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has courted growing anti-immigrant opinion in Germany by claiming the country's attempts to create a multicultural society have "utterly failed".
Speaking to a meeting of young members of her Christian Democratic Union party, Merkel said the idea of people from different cultural backgrounds living happily "side by side" did not work.
She said the onus was on immigrants to do more to integrate into German society.
"This [multicultural] approach has failed, utterly failed," Merkel told the meeting in Potsdam, west of Berlin, yesterday.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/oct/17/angela-merkel-german-multiculturalism-failed
whathehell
(28,968 posts)She was right the first time -- It is incumbent upon the immigrant to assimilate into the new culture. They can hold onto their culture to an extent, the way so many of our ancestors did, but they can't break laws or oherwise offend the sensibilities of new country in a major way.
If they don't want to do this, they should just stay where they are.
Quantess
(27,630 posts)Interesting...
branford
(4,462 posts)Rotherham was a disaster for many peoples' perceptions of Labour and their support of multiculturalism in Britain, and an unexpected political boon for the Tories.