Cologne's Unrest: A City's Turmoil And Aftermath

On New Year's Eve 2015, approximately 1,200 women were sexually assaulted in Cologne, Germany. The perpetrators were described as Arab and North African men, and the attacks were alleged to be organised. The incident led to protests by right-wing and anti-fascist groups. The attacks also prompted discussions about Germany's asylum policy and the country's refugee crisis.

The 2015-16 New Year's Eve sexual assaults

On New Year's Eve 2015, approximately 1,000 women were sexually assaulted in Cologne, Germany. The assaults took place in and around the main train station and the cathedral. The perpetrators were described as large groups of young men, identified as Muslim men of Arab or North African origin.

The Federal Criminal Police Office confirmed in July 2016 that 1,200 women had been sexually assaulted that night. By April 2016, statistics recorded by authorities indicated that out of the 153 identified suspects in Cologne, two-thirds were originally from Morocco or Algeria, 44% were asylum-seekers, another 12% were likely to have been in Germany illegally, and 3% were underage unaccompanied refugees.

The Cologne police were criticised for their handling of the situation and their initial statement that the night had been largely peaceful. By the end of the first week of January 2016, the total number of complaints stood at 121. The number of reported crimes kept rising, and today, it is known that 1,168 police reports were filed in Cologne regarding incidents on New Year's Eve. A total of 492 women reported incidents of sexual assault, a category encompassing sexual harassment, assault, and rape.

The attacks raised two deeply disturbing questions. The first: why did the police not do more to protect women? And the second: were the attacks carried out by newly arrived refugees? The city's chief of police, Wolfgang Albers, was relieved of his duties following the incident. Leaked internal police reports described the night as "chaotic" and a "shameful situation". The reports said officers were aware of the sexual assaults and that women were in intense danger, but failed to mention the description of the perpetrators as "migrants". This led to accusations of a cover-up.

The police's response

The police response to the events in Cologne on New Year's Eve has been heavily criticised. The initial police report described the night as "largely peaceful", with no mention of sexual assaults, leading to accusations of a cover-up. The police chief, Wolfgang Albers, was accused of downplaying the events, and was eventually dismissed from his position.

In the days following the attacks, the number of reported crimes kept rising. On 2nd January, police had received nearly 30 complaints, which rose to 90 by 5th January, and 121 by the end of the first week in January. By March, 1,168 police reports had been filed, with 492 women reporting incidents of sexual assault.

The police's handling of the situation has been scrutinised, with questions asked about why more wasn't done to protect women. A leaked internal police report described the night as "chaotic" and a "shameful situation", and said that officers were aware of the sexual assaults. It also said that there were "not enough policemen" and that if there had been, "rape could have been prevented".

The German government has proceeded with legislation making it easier to deport asylum-seekers who are charged with committing crimes.

The media's coverage

The media coverage of the events in Cologne on New Year's Eve 2015–2016 has been accused of perpetuating sexism and racism in the name of feminism. The German magazine Focus featured a photograph on its cover of a naked white woman with black handprints all over her body. Süddeutsche Zeitung used a drawing of a black hand reaching up between a white woman’s legs. The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a cartoon, recalling the Kurdish-Syrian three-year-old boy Alan Kurdi who, in September 2015, drowned while fleeing with his family from the Syrian civil war. The cartoon pictured Alan Kurdi as a grown-up man lecherously chasing a running blonde woman. The accompanying text reads: "Migrants. What would little Aylan have grown up to be? Ass groper in Germany".

The media has been accused of framing the incident as a clash between cultures, or as proof that an external force was threatening Western society. The initial impression of a mob of 1,000 refugees going after the women of Germany never went away. However, an investigation by two German journalists, Yermi Brenner and Katrin Ohlendorf, suggests that a more accurate description of what happened that night might be: several dozen young men, many of North African origin, are suspected of sexually assaulting and robbing hundreds of women in the crowd.

The media coverage of the events in Cologne has also been criticised for its failure to adequately report on the events. Critics have accused the government and media of not adequately reporting the events to avoid talking about the controversial topic of the suspect’s ethnicities. Well-known newspapers, such as Süddeutsche Zeitung and Die Welt, have reported on the hesitation shown by the police. Die Welt stated, on 10 January 2016, that "for a week, the truth about the New Year's Eve in Cologne was only available under the counter. Piece by piece, it came to light, because police officers who had been deployed began to talk."

The media has also been accused of a cover-up of the events. On 4 January 2016, the local and national news media appeared to have avoided reporting on the attackers' ethnicity until the evening of 4 January. The prominent Süddeutsche Zeitung in its first account on its website at 15:58 still did not mention that ethnicity of the suspects. The public-service TV broadcaster ZDF at 19:00 that day, in its news bulletin, completely skipped the item of the Cologne sex assaults because they had not yet found an eyewitness willing to talk on camera, nor confirmation of the ethnicity of the suspects.

Accusations and suspicions of a media cover-up arose on Twitter and other social networking sites as of the afternoon of 4 January 2016, holding that 'the national media' or 'the news media' had been engaged in a cover-up of these New Year's Eve events or had deliberately under-reported them, for fear of encouraging anti-immigrant or anti-refugee sentiments.

The impact on immigration policy

On New Year's Eve in 2015, approximately 1,200 women were sexually assaulted in and around Cologne's main train station. The perpetrators were described as being of Arab or North African origin and the incident fuelled anti-immigration sentiment in Germany.

In the aftermath of the attacks, public support for asylum-seekers dropped and protests were held by right-wing, anti-immigration groups. The German government responded by tightening asylum policy and passing legislation to make it easier to deport asylum-seekers charged with crimes. This was done in the name of protecting women, but it resulted in a more hostile environment for both female and male migrants.

The impact of the Cologne attacks on immigration policy extended beyond Germany. The events fed into anti-immigrant sentiment across Europe and emboldened far-right groups. For instance, the UK media carried stories about "migrant gang sex attacks" and "sexual jihad". The Charlie Hebdo cartoon referenced in the source material is an example of how the attacks were exploited to advance an anti-immigrant agenda.

The German government's response to the attacks also had a chilling effect on migrants' lives. There were reports of attacks on refugees and refugee shelters being burned down. Migrants faced increased hostility in their daily lives, with some being refused entry to swimming pools and bars. The perpetrators of the attacks were mostly of North African origin, and this led to a broader suspicion of North African migrants and a rise in anti-North African sentiment.

In conclusion, the impact of the Cologne attacks on immigration policy was significant and far-reaching. The German government's response and the media coverage contributed to a more hostile environment for migrants, and the events fuelled anti-immigrant sentiment across Europe.

The public's reaction

Anti-immigrant sentiment

There was a wave of anti-immigrant sentiment following the attacks, with far-right groups such as Pegida and HoGeSa holding protests in the streets. This sentiment was also reflected in the media, with outlets across Europe reporting on refugee and migrant sex crimes. This led to a drop in public support in Germany for asylum seekers, and criticism of Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to lift asylum restrictions for Syrian refugees.

Racist digital mob

The incident also triggered the rise of a racist digital mob, with social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp providing a space for the dissemination of radical, misanthropic generalisations and calls for revenge and violence.

Feminist counter-protests

In response to the anti-immigrant protests, feminist counter-protests were also held in Cologne, with women taking to the streets to "make a sign against violence against women".

Differentiation

Some commentators attempted to differentiate between those who perpetrated the crimes and those who shared their ethnic background, arguing that it was important not to fall into racist generalisations.

Support for refugees

Some Germans continued to express support for refugees and asylum seekers, with one young man from Somalia saying he felt "very welcome" in Germany and wanted to thank the German government and people.

Blame game

Others, however, laid the blame squarely at the feet of refugees and asylum seekers, arguing that they had been "set free" and couldn't control themselves around women.

Flowers for women

In a show of solidarity, some men, including refugees, went to Cologne station to hand out flowers to women after the attacks.

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