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| Europe | |
| Cologne anti-migrant protest turns violent | |
| 2016-01-10 | |
| [Rooters] Riot police broke up far-right protesters in Cologne on Saturday as they marched against Germany's open-door migration policy after asylum seekers were identified as suspects in assaults on women on New Year's Eve. The attacks, ranging from sexual molestation to theft, shocked Germany, which took in 1.1 million migrants and refugees in 2015 under asylum laws championed by Chancellor Angela Merkel, despite fervent opposition. Police said around 1,700 people attended the rally organized by the far-right anti-Islam PEGIDA movement, which has seized on the alleged involvement of migrants in the Cologne attacks as proof Merkel's policy is flawed. Demonstrators, some of whom bore tattoos with far-right symbols such as a skull in a German soldier's helmet, had chanted "Merkel must go" and "this is the march of the national resistance". "Rapefugees not welcome," one banner read. A police spokesman said roughly half of those at the PEGIDA protest were from the 'hooligan scene'. Some in the crowd threw bottles and fire crackers at officers, and riot police used water canon to disperse the protesters. Two people were injured in the clash, and police detained a number of demonstrators, a Reuters witness said. PEGIDA, or Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the West, almost fizzled out last year when its leader resigned after a photo was published of him posing as Adolf Hitler. But its ranks have swelled as resentment spread of Merkel's welcoming stance to refugees. In all, about 1,700 police officers were on the streets of Cologne, dwarfing the number on duty during the chaotic scenes of New Year's Eve when at least 120 women were robbed or sexually molested. About 1,300 people attended a rival left-wing protest in Cologne, according to police. Shortly before Saturday's protest began, Merkel hardened her stance toward migrants, promising expulsion for criminals and a reduction in migrant numbers over the longer term to Germany. Merkel's remarks on Saturday were in stark contrast to her earlier optimism about the influx to Germany, which has taken in far more migrants than any other European country. Her 'we can do it' slogan irritated many Germans, uneasy about the mass arrivals. Under German law, asylum seekers are now typically only deported if they have been sentenced to at least three years in prison, and providing their lives are not at risk at home. Merkel's conservative party said it wanted to reduce and control migration to Germany, and send those who had been refused asylum home promptly. Such a move would require a change to German law. Earlier in the week, German federal police said they had identified 32 people who were suspected of playing a role in the attacks on women on Cologne, 22 of whom were in the process of seeking asylum in Germany. They documented 76 criminal acts, most of them involving some form of theft, and seven linked to sexual molestation. Of the suspects, nine were Algerian, eight Moroccan, five Iranian and four Syrian. Three German citizens, an Iraqi, a Serb and a U.S. citizen were also identified. Similar assaults happened in other cities such as Frankfurt.
[dw.com] Cologne police have said the number of women coming forward with complaints that they were assaulted on New Year's Eve has risen to 379. Forty percent of the reported crimes were said to be of a sexual nature. | |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #7 Deutsche Welle now reports even more assault complaints: Police say more than 500 complaints have now been filed in connection with the New Year's Eve attacks, with about 40 percent involving sexual offenses. Germany's justice minister said the violence appeared orchestrated. As for the 1,700 police officers at the PEGIDA event, that compares to the 129, as I recall, guarding Cathedral Square on New Years Eve. As the article says, dwarfing the number. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2016-01-10 16:06 |
| #6 Pictures at Breitbart but I'm having a tough time downloading them. Kinda makes me think I'm not the only one trying. |
| Posted by: Abu Uluque 2016-01-10 12:59 |
| #5 It gets better - there are reports that the police and the left may have coordinated against the PEDIGA protest. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2016-01-10 12:13 |
| #4 Hope they've got spare "alleged" keys to their typewriters cause they're sure wearing them out. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2016-01-10 09:20 |
| #3 Well, P2k, it depends on whom they consider "their own people", isn't it? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2016-01-10 09:13 |
| #2 They'll use violence against their own people but not the perps who started this. Guess who side the rulers are on. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2016-01-10 09:06 |
| #1 Tom Kratman couldn't be reached for comment. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2016-01-10 03:32 |