“Groups of Men Raised Under Wrong Ideas”

WORLD: Mr. Hikel, why is there every year on New Year's Eve the horror reports about attacks on firefighters and paramedics and real street battles with pyrotechnics from Berlin - especially from Neukölln?

Martin Hikel: I also spent New Year's Eve in Neukölln and these pictures shocked me too. It wasn't like that everywhere in Neukölln, but there were scenes in the usual places that reminded of civil war-like conditions. This year it had a new quality. In individual cases, rescue workers were deliberately lured into an ambush in order to attack them there. This is highly criminal behavior. People who are supposed to save our lives and belongings deserve our support and solidarity and not to be attacked.

WORLD: Why does no one in politics say that the perpetrators who can be seen on video recordings are young men, often with a migration background? Any why is this the case? Many other Berliners - with and without a migration background - also managed to celebrate peacefully.

Hikel: This statement cannot be made in general, because many people with a migration background also celebrated peacefully. What we do notice, however, is that these images come from neighborhoods that are socially disadvantaged every year. There were these attacks on Sonnenallee and Hermannstrasse in Neukölln, but also in Tempelhof and Wedding. We have areas where individual groups of men appear to be suffering from whatever or have been raised under misconceptions that they are compelled to become violent in such a manner. I think it's more of a symptom. It should give us an indication of where we still need to change something in society.

WORLD: What is the right response to the attacks, apart from prosecuting the perpetrators? What follows politically?

Hikel: I think it's right that we also talk about the social importance of firecrackers and whether sales should be restricted. It is absolutely incomprehensible why you can buy a blank pistol at all. This also celebrates the glorification of armed violence. I would appreciate it if you would at least require a small firearms license to purchase blank pistols.

WORLD: And when it comes to firecrackers? Do you support a sales ban or would it make more sense to initially expand the no-gun zones?

Hikel: I think restricting the sale of firecrackers makes more sense than expanding the no-fire zones. The police colleagues will have great problems monitoring even larger prohibited zones across the board. It would be easier to limit sales. But we can't do that in Berlin, because then people will go to Brandenburg. And if we restrict the sale of firecrackers in Germany, we mustn't be naïve either. Certainly some will go to Poland to stock up there. But if sales are restricted nationwide, then the hurdle is a bit higher.

WORLD: And when dealing with the perpetrators?

Hikel: On the one hand, perpetrators must be punished more consistently. It is unacceptable for people who have become criminals to wait months or years for a verdict to be passed. Unfortunately, this happens far too often because the courts are also overloaded. On the other hand, I also think it's right to ask how we can also combat the social imbalances that prevail in the neighborhoods. We invest in education. There are youth clubs, social work, neighborhood management. But apparently the people who put a lot of heart and soul into it reach their limits with individuals. In parts we are developing in the direction of banlieues, as we know them from France. I think we have to start early to prevent this kind of development, for example when it comes to the occupancy of apartments and the social mix in the city. There is no simple answer, but there are approaches.

WORLD: One final question: the Berlin police have a new language guide. Among other things, it provides for using the term “West Asian” instead of “Southern”. What do you make of it?

Hikel: This wording is incomprehensible to me and I don't think the public either. I'm a friend of clear and unambiguous words instead of nice paraphrases.

"Kick-off Politics" is WELT's daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, among others, or directly via RSS feed.