CDU
Linnemann demands punishment of violent offenders on the day of the crime
After CDU leader Merz made Linnemann, an economic liberal, the designated general secretary, the social wing is now insisting on more influence in the party leadership. photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
Whether it’s a mass brawl at the outdoor pool or hooligan violence after a football game – if the evidence is clear, fast track procedures are possible. However, the effort is great.
After repeated violence in Berlin’s outdoor pools, the designated CDU General Secretary Carsten Linnemann called for the consistent punishment of violent offenders on the day of the crime. The judges’ association objected that this could not be done without additional staff.
He expects “quite simply” the “enforcement of our laws,” said Linnemann in response to a question from “Bild am Sonntag”. “Fast trials are needed against violent criminals, and the judicial system must be organized accordingly.” Anyone who attacks people in the outdoor pool at noon must sit in front of the judge in the evening and be sentenced. “Even on weekends.” The Code of Criminal Procedure provides that. The penalty must also be fully exhausted, up to and including imprisonment.
Criticism from the German Association of Judges
“It’s not very convincing when politicians call for a strong rule of law with a determined pose on Sunday, but don’t do enough for it Monday to Saturday,” countered the national director of the German Judges’ Association, Sven Rebehn. It is true that a punishment should follow the act as soon as possible in order to act as a deterrent for the perpetrators. Anyone who publicly calls for speedy criminal prosecution must then also better staff the judiciary.
The Code of Criminal Procedure enables the public prosecutor’s office to apply for a decision in accelerated proceedings if the case is suitable for immediate hearing due to the simple facts or the clear evidence. In the case of crimes committed over a weekend, however, a judge is not always available in some places. The summary court may sentence the accused to a maximum of one year imprisonment.
Disputes in Berlin outdoor pools
At the beginning of July 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 – even apart from the outdoor pool incidents – the goal 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.”
Greens: CDU is responsible in Berlin
The Greens chairman Omid Nouripour said in the ZDF summer interview that the CDU now bears responsibility in Berlin state politics. He therefore hopes that Linnemann will not only make such suggestions in interviews, but will also talk to Senator for Justice Felor Badenberg (independent) “so that judges can be hired as quickly as possible” in order to enable quick procedures. Equally important are prevention and social work. The co-party leader added: “What we are currently experiencing in certain outdoor pools is completely out of the question, it needs a hard, clear answer.” There must be a boundary, “up to here and no further – and this boundary is the law”.