Cologne sex attacks: Prosecutor issues clarification

By Catherine Hardy with Die Welt, The Independent, Huffington Post, AP.

Published on 16/02/2016 - 15:48

Comments

The majority arrested are from Algeria and Morocco and not Syria or Iraq.

1000 offences reported in Cologne at New Year
58 arrested
‘Majority from North Africa’ – prosecutor
Only three from Syria or Iraq

The news

Debate continues to rage in Germany in the wake of an unprecedented wave of sex attacks on women on New Year’s Eve.

The prosecutor in the city of Cologne has now stepped forward to clarify details of those under arrest.

First arrest made for sexual assault in … – #Germany #New_Year #Ulrich_Bremer – https://t.co/QjpC6D8F5X pic.twitter.com/pmgI7l5kQL
— shopall (@Shopall3) January 19, 2016

58 people have been arrested in connection with the offences, which took place outside the main train station.

Ulrich Bremer has taken issue with how comments he gave at the start of the week have been reported across Europe.

Insisting records show the clear majority of those arrested are of ethnic Algerian, Moroccan or Tunisian origin, he added “they have various legal statuses, including illegal entry, asylum seekers and asylum applicants.”

The majority have arrived in the last year, he added, while saying he could not comment on their exact asylum status.

Only three are recently-arrived refugees from Iraq and Syria.

Contemporary reports linked the attacks to increasing numbers of refugees arriving in recent months from Syria and Iraq, where conflict is raging.

The latest announcement suggests the situation is not as clear-cut as it has been made out.

The context

Allegations, reported in the press and repeated on social media, that freshly-arrived refugees, the majority of whom are Syrian and Iraqi, were responsible for the attacks has led to a significant hardening of attitude among some.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s renewed “open door” immigration policy has also been called into question.

Since the attacks, far-right groups in Germany have capitalised on increasing unease about refugee arrivals.

Anti-immigration marches have been held in some cities.

There have also been reports of attacks on refugee shelters.