Gummersbach (Northrhine-Westphalia), Germany: Antisemitic Attack on Youth; Serious Allegations Against Police
During the night of July 19/20, four men armed with knives brutally attacked a 17 year old boy of Jewish background. During a birthday party at a sports field, the perpetrators kicked the boy’s head and neck while screaming: “You dirty Jewish pig (Du dreckige Judensau)!”
Eventually they threw him down a slope where he crashed into a tree. Knowing that his parents were not at home the boy called his two sisters who finally picked him up and brought him to a hospital. After a preliminary medical examination, the three of them returned to the sports field, in order to learn the names of the perpetrators. The sisters of the boy were threatened at that point also and several times the Nazi salute was used.
Despite repeated calls to the emergency department, it took the police one hour to show up according to the boy’s father. One call was allegedly even intentionally disconnected. After the police arrived they asked the boy whether he possibly had provoked the attackers.
The father, who is a member of the county council, filed a formal complaint against the police officers involved. Authorities say they are investigating the allegations against the police. Meanwhile the police investigation regarding the attack itself has been passed to the department for politically motivated crimes in Cologne.
Sources: Oberberg-aktuell.de, 07-21-2008, Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger online, 07-23-2008, Kölnische Rundschau online, 07-22-2008
