Designated CDU General Secretary
Judgments on the day of the crime – Linnemann wants speedy proceedings against criminals
Carsten Linnemann, CDU General Secretary, speaks. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
The designated CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann intervened in the discussion about crimes in outdoor pools and called for the suspected perpetrators to be punished on the same day.
After repeated violence in Berlin’s outdoor pools, the designated CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann called for violent criminals to be punished consistently on the day of the crime. “There is a need for fast-track procedures against violent criminals, the judicial system must be organized accordingly,” Linnemann told the “Bild am Sonntag”. “Anyone who attacks people in the outdoor pool at noon has to sit in front of the judge in the evening and be sentenced. Even at the weekend.” The Code of Criminal Procedure provides that. The penalty must also be fully exhausted, up to and including imprisonment.
According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, the public prosecutor’s office can apply for a decision in accelerated proceedings if the case is suitable for immediate hearing due to the simple facts or the clear evidence. The summary court may sentence the accused to a maximum of one year imprisonment.
Last weekend there were violent clashes in outdoor pools in Neukölln and Kreuzberg. The Columbiabad in Neukölln was cleared again. The outdoor pool is known nationwide because there are often riots and problems with young people there. Parts of the district of Neukölln are considered a social hot spot.
Linnemann said that in principle the aim must be to immediately hold criminals accountable. “The strong rule of law only works with deterrence if the perpetrators have to expect that they will be convicted and face the consequences on the same day.” What is currently happening in the outdoor pools is also “simply antisocial,” said Linnemann. “Families who can’t afford a vacation or a pool in their own garden have to watch young men, often with a migration background, become violent in the outdoor pool. They have the impression that the state is just watching.”
CDU wants citizen money
In the same interview, Linnemann announced that citizen income would be revised should his party participate in the government. “Anyone who cannot work needs full support from the state,” he told Bams. But those who can work and receive citizen income must also accept a job. “Otherwise he can’t expect any help from the state. That’s why we’ll take care of the citizens’ income when we come to power.” The term itself is misleading, said Linnemann. “Citizen’s allowance sounds as if every citizen is entitled to this benefit from tax money. We have to change that.”
The 45-year-old Linnemann was installed by party leader Friedrich Merz as the new general secretary last Tuesday. It is the first major interview in which he speaks in his new role. Linnemann has been deputy CDU chairman since 2022 and has been a member of the Bundestag since 2009. Under Merz, he is responsible for working on his party’s new basic program.