“This is my country and you are a guest here”
“Will not be tolerated” – Berlin police are investigating after an official’s racist derailment
“Racism in the Berlin police”: The video of the operation in Berlin-Lichtenberg provokes outraged reactions.
© Screenshot / Twitter / der_neukoellner
“This is my country and you are a guest here.” With these words, a Berlin police officer persuaded a woman. A video shows the situation, the police comment on the operation.
The Berlin police are investigating an officer from their own ranks who apparently racially abused a woman during an operation. A video is now circulating on social networks that, according to the police, depicts the situation in question.
The sequences show a small part of the operation in a family apartment in Berlin’s Lichtenberg district on the morning of September 9th. After the two officers involved brought a man to the ground and handcuffed him, he sits on a bed with his hands tied behind his back.
“Racism in the Berlin police”
A war of words develops with the man’s wife, who has observed the scene. “Get out!” says one of the officers to the woman. She replies, “This is my house.” The policeman replies, also in the presence of his colleague: “This is my country and you are a guest here.” The overwhelmed man also intervened: “This is my house, this is not your country.” In the further course of the policeman barks at the woman: “Shut up, don’t touch me again!” He then turns to the arrested person: “Your wife is not to talk to me like that. You are here in our country, you have to behave according to our laws!” The officer then threatens the woman: “I’ll take you to jail, I’ll take you to jail.” At least two of the couple’s obviously frightened children witnessed the situation. In the meantime, one of them held the camera.
“Racism in the Berlin police,” commented Ferat Koçak, left-wing politician and member of the Berlin House of Representatives, on the police officer’s statements. Other users of social networks are also outraged. The well-known Berlin chief inspector Oliver von Dobrowolski, who has long advocated a different culture of errors in the police force and against illegal police violence, called for “clear and immediate consequences” for the officer. “Because something like that doesn’t depend on the history of the recording.” (Read a stern portrait about von Dorbrowolski here.)
Berlin police are investigating officials – and the couple
The police state protection is now investigating the incident, the authority announced on Tuesday. It is about the suspicion of “xenophobic insult,” says a statement. In addition, there were investigations into physical injury in the office because the man allegedly injured his arm during the operation. The couple are said to have filed a complaint shortly after the incident and submitted the video. A police spokesman said on Wednesday that the recording from the apartment had been secured for the investigation star-Inquiry.
The operation in the apartment was about the execution of an arrest warrant against the 30-year-old man because he had not paid a fine of 750 euros for “cheating services”. This had been paid in the course of the operation, the arrest warrant had become obsolete. According to the police, the officials also wanted to talk to the 28-year-old wife as a threat. A spokesman was unable to provide details on request. According to the information, investigations are now also underway against the couple: for resistance, physical assault and attempted prisoner release.
The police officer accused of making racist statements is still on duty, the police said in an interview star. “Disciplinary measures are suspended until the criminal investigation has been completed.” However, the spokesman made it clear: “Such behavior is not compatible with the ethical and moral concepts and the mission statement of the Berlin police and will not be tolerated.”
Sources: Berlin police, Ferat Koçak on Twitter, Oliver von Dobrowolski on Twitter, version of the video