News / Germany

German officials warn about use of Cologne assaults against refugees

Thursday, 07 January 2016 11:42 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 07 January 2016 11:43 AM ]

Ralf Jaeger, interior minister for the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW).

A German official has warned that anti-refugee groups are trying to use a string of sexual assaults and robberies in the city of Cologne, against refugees.

Ralf Jaeger, interior minister for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), said on Wednesday that anti-refugee groups were trying to use the attacks to stir up hatred against refugees.

"What happens on the right-wing platforms and in chat rooms is at least as awful as the acts of those assaulting the women," he said. "This is poisoning the climate of our society."

Almost 100 women have told police they were sexually assaulted or robbed by a gang of men “of North African or Arab appearance” near the city's main train station on New Year's Eve. Among the women two were reportedly raped.

Police officers patrol in front of the main station of Cologne, Germany, on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. (AP photo)

Jaeger lashed out at police for failing to prevent the assaults, saying, "Something like this must not happen again - not only in Cologne, but also in other big cities."

“The police have to conceptually adjust to the fact that there are apparently groups of perpetrators, who assault women en masse. This must not happen in our society and the police as well as the city authorities have to react to it,” he added.

Jaeger also said police identified three suspects.

Officials rule out refugee role in assaults

Cologne mayor Henriette Reker on Wednesday warned against speculation that the suspected perpetrators were refugees.

“It’s completely improper… to link a group that appeared to come from North Africa with the refugees," Reker said.

Wolfgang Albers, Cologne’s police chief, also echoed the mayor’s remarks, saying, “We don’t currently have any suspects, so we don’t know who the perpetrators were.”

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s office said in a statement that she had “expressed her outrage about these despicable assaults and sexual attacks” and called for the perpetrators to be found “as quickly and comprehensively as possible and to punish them without regard to their origin or background.”

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