Daily Times

Just a month ago, on the eve of New Year, news started coming in from Cologne, Germany, on how the refugees and asylum seekers of North African and Arab origin (mostly from Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia) had groped and sexually assaulted more than 100 German women in the city centre outside the central railway station of Haupt Bahnhof and in front of a church. Reportedly, more than 1,000 people had gathered there to celebrate New Year. The news was followed by an eruption of anti-foreigner sentiment. Right-wing Germans took to the streets and protested fanatically against the open door, pro-refugee policy of German Chancellor Angela Markel. A hate campaign was launched in the media. Damage was done to the reputation of the foreigners of non-German origin, especially Muslims, who are now derided across Europe under the slogan ‘Rape of Europe’.

On January 18, on the incident, the UK-based daily, The Guardian, reported that “838 people have so far filed criminal complaints, including 497 women alleging sexual assault. Some of the victims have jointly filed a single complaint, so that the number of alleged crimes stands at 766, of which 381 are sexual offences, including three rapes.” The daily further reports that “the number of people accused of committing crime in Cologne on New Year’s eve now stand at 21, of whom eight are in detention.” Consequently, the sentiments of people around the world have been stirred pathologically against the refugees and asylum seekers who happen to be Muslims. More cases of sexual assaults were excavated from across Europe to reinforce the notion of the rape of Europe. Interestingly, not even a single German newspaper has come up with the perspective of those who have been blamed. Only the version of those who claimed to have been sexually assaulted was aired. Clearly, the German media cannot be free of anti-foreigner bias, which has made news coming from Germany unreliable.

Anyone who has visited Cologne bears witness to the fact that CCTV cameras are in place in abundance in both the train station and the city centre. At the time of the incident, neither was there an electricity blackout nor were fireworks taking place in the dark. The damage was done but where is the evidence? Interviews of women (who claim that they were the victims) have been aired. They have even given lurid details of the happening. What stops them from identifying the culprits? One month has passed since the incident took place but where is the progress on the case?

Private bulletins are also coming in from Germany that right-wing Germans used women to meet their objectives. This is just the beginning. Other European countries have yet to follow suit.

On January 13, Peter Tauber, general secretary of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) — the party of Angela Merkel — told a newspaper, The Rheinische Post, “There must be zero tolerance for those who come to Germany and commit crimes or fail to integrate.” In his statement, Tauber implied that foreigners (or immigrants) coming to Germany would commit crimes. Interestingly, Tauber did not bother to mention what the tolerance level of the government was for those Germans who were habitual in committing crimes against foreigners visiting Germany. Tauber needs a reality check.

The total population of Germany is about 80 million and Germany is the largest economy in Europe. As per the 2015 report of the Confederation of European Bicycle Industry (CONEBI), in 2014, the bicycle production share of Germany in the European Union (EU) was 18 percent, just second to Italy’s share of 23 percent. The same report also mentions that the share of Germany in bicycle parts and accessories production was 17 percent, just second to Italy’s share of 30 percent. Furthermore, the annual sales of bicycles, bicycle parts and their components were between four billion and five billion euros. Moreover, in 2014, the number of bicycle users in Germany was about 72 million. Against this background of high production and utility, Germany must be a country of lowest incidence of bike stealing. This is not the case. In fact, Germany is the country having the highest incidence of bike stealing.

In a news item published on July 14, 2015, in a German newspaper in English, The Local, in 2014, 340,000 bikes were stolen in Germany. Under the title ‘Bike theft spinning out of control across Germany’, the same news item mentioned that “around 23,000 more bikes were stolen in 2014 than in 2013”. Was this also done by foreigners? These stolen bikes are resold and bought in Germany not by foreigners but by Germans themselves. Buying a stolen bike is a crime and the thief may spend up to 10 years in prison, in accordance with Section 243 of German Criminal Law. Even then the stealing and buying of such bicycles takes place. A German uses three locks (one for the front tyre, one for the back tyre and one for the main frame of the bicycle) to secure a bicycle and commonly takes the seat along with him or her. Despite that the bicycle is stolen. Such is the resilient habit of stealing in German society.

When the citizens of a country, which is otherwise self-sufficient economically and which is one of the major producers and users of bicycles (where bicycles should be lying in waste owing to abundance), steal bicycles belonging to one another, it means that that society has a sickness somewhere.

The writer is a freelance columnist and can be reached at qaisarrashid@yahoo.com