Germany Warned against Vilifying Refugees over Mass Sex Assaults
Cologne, Germany, is holding a crisis meeting after dozens of sexual assaults were committed there on New Year's Eve.
Police say dozens of women reported being sexually assaulted and robbed that night -- at least 90 criminal complaints in total. At least one woman was raped.
"The actions of the perpetrators were completely intolerable, and so we expect them to be prosecuted in the toughest possible way," Mayor Henriette Reker said.
Police say witnesses described the attackers as being men of "Arab or North African origin." According to BBC, the attacks were organized.
"Around 1,000 young men arrived in large groups, seemingly with the specific intention of carrying out attacks on women," the BBC reported.
City police chief Wolfgang Albers is calling the attacks "a completely new dimension of crime."
One liberal lawmaker is warning against blaming refugees for the assaults.
"The law does not discriminate regarding a person's origin or passport... all are equal before the law," German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said.
Meanwhile, Cologne's mayor is vowing to step up measures to prevent similar attacks during next month's annual carnival festivities.
"We will also have to explain our carnival better to people from other cultures, so that there's no confusion about the cheerful behavior in Cologne that has nothing to do with candor, especially candid sexuality," Reker said.
