Officials condemn racist attack on young girls – DW – 16.06.2024

German authorities on Saturday condemned an attack that left a Ghanaian girl and her father injured.

An eight-year-old Ghanaian girl and her ten-year-old sister were attacked late Friday by a group of about 20 teenagers and young adults, police said.

What do we know about the attack?

The 8-year-old girl and her father suffered minor injuries and were taken to hospital.

The attack took place in the town of Grevesmühlen in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

According to police, the attackers kicked the younger girl in the face, prompting the girl’s parents to intervene.

According to police reports, one of the alleged attackers continued to insult the victims with racist remarks even after officers arrived at the scene.

The police are investigating for breach of the peace, serious bodily harm, incitement to hatred and verbal insults.

State and local authorities condemn attack

Grevesmühlen’s mayor Lars Prahler told NDR 1 Radio MV that he was shocked by the incident.

“This racially motivated act simply leaves me speechless. It shows bottomless hatred and unbridled inhumanity and is inexcusable,” he said.

He added that the fact that some of the suspects are teenagers is no excuse for this behavior.

Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig condemned the attack in a post on the platform X, formerly Twitter.

“The injured girl is 8 years old – as young as my daughter. We must not allow hatred and hate speech to poison our society and violence to threaten our children,” she said.

State Interior Minister Christian Pegel said: “You don’t attack people, especially not children, and certainly not for racist reasons.”

Jana Michael, Commissioner for Integration in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, asked the young people to name the perpetrators.

“Every witness who remains silent is complicit and prevents the investigation of this heinous violence against children,” she said.

sdi/rmt (dpa, AFP)