Dürr demands deportation of intensive criminals
The violent death of 20-year-old Philippos T. in Bad Oeynhausen shocks many people in Germany. While the alleged perpetrator, an 18-year-old Syrian, remains silent in investigative detention, the mayor of the town speaks out to Lanz.
"This incident has shocked and left many people speechless. But anger prevails." reports Lars Bökenkroger. The CDU politician is mayor of Bad Oeynhausen, a peaceful 50,000-resident city in North Rhine-Westphalia, about a half hour drive from Bielefeld. But since the night of June 22 to 23, a shadow has fallen over the town.
This weekend there is a lot going on in Bad Oeynhausen: Many are looking forward to the EM quarterfinal match between Germany and Switzerland on Sunday evening. The summer city festival is running. And on Saturday evening, there is a farewell party in the spa terraces. "This is a place where crime does not prevail," says Mayor Bökenkroger. Until this weekend.
Philippos T. is one of the participants in the graduation party. His entire family is there. His sister has passed her Abitur. That's a reason to celebrate, even for the aspiring rapper Philippos. It's night, around half past two, reports Bökenkroger. Philippos wants to go outside for a moment, to breathe fresh air, with a friend for a cigarette. The two friends go to the spa park, sit on a bench. What exactly happened then is still not entirely clear. The two friends apparently got into a fight with a group of ten young men and adults. The young men were reportedly of Sudanese origin, writes the press. But three Germans were also involved. Some were wearing Adidas training suits.
Then one from the group is said to have jumped up and threatened Philippos T. He apparently wanted to flee, but then went to the ground. The alleged perpetrator, an 18-year-old Syrian, is said to have hit Philippos on the head and kicked him.
Meanwhile, the party goes on. Philippos' mother goes to look for the young man, goes to the door. She sees the ambulance. Philippos dies two days later in the hospital from his severe injuries. "I'm speechless about what happened, what the family had to witness," says Mayor Bökenkroger to Markus Lanz.
The alleged perpetrator is in investigative detention. He has not yet spoken out about the charges. He was known to the police. The Syrian had fled to Germany with his family six years ago. First, they lived in Pforzheim, first in a refugee shelter, then in an apartment. Last year, the family moved to Bad Oeynhausen. The teenager had already attracted police attention in Pforzheim: bodily harm, thefts. He is said to have broken several cigarette machines. He was also under investigation for a drug offense. In 2022, he is being investigated for attempted rape and sexual abuse of children. But the proceedings were discontinued. Now, the prosecutor's office is investigating the Syrian for manslaughter in conjunction with grievous bodily harm. He faces up to 15 years in prison.
The commune is powerless
For years now, there has been a subjective sense of insecurity in the population, says Bökenkroger. Matters have only grown more heated. "One must admit: There are restrictions on the actions of municipalities. The police are tied up at the district level, that's where I have no options. Video surveillance: Data protection stands in the way. I can't do anything about that. As a commune, we have trouble telling the population how we can ensure safety. Apart from a little lighting, which one can install occasionally."
Above all, the violence of youth groups is causing problems for the mayor. He can only summon employees of the order office to control certain areas. They are often accompanied by police. Bad Oeynhausen is like many other municipalities: They have to take in refugees, but they cannot ensure proper integration. That starts in school, says Bökenkroger. There are classes with a migration quota of up to 90 percent. And yet there are also good examples of integration. "We are a health care facility. Our heart center needs many people from all over the world. And we owe it to them that we identify those in our society who behave criminally. But then we must also be consistent. We are too liberal, often too pedagogical. But we must tell young people that it cannot be that they carry knives with them, that they brawl, and then also in such a development that they almost kill someone."
FDP fraction leader Christian Dürr sees it the same way. It was wrong that Germany had allowed irregular migration into its security systems for more than twenty years. Dürr: "We are open-minded. But we want people to come to us who want to integrate." The few intensive care patients must be legally pursued, Dürr demands. And: "I expect from my own federal government that deportations to Afghanistan and Syria are possible."
- The incident in Bad Oeynhausen has sparked intense discussions in German politics, with politicians like FDP fraction leader Christian Dürr calling for stricter immigration policies and increased deportations.
- The alleged perpetrator, an 18-year-old Syrian, had a history of criminality in Germany, including charges of bodily harm, thefts, and breaking cigarette machines in Pforzheim, as well as an ongoing investigation for attempted rape and sexual abuse of children.
- North Rhine-Westphalia, the state where Bad Oeynhausen is located, has been facing challenges with migrant integration, with many schools having classes with a high migration quota and issues of youth crime and violence.
- The mayor of Bad Oeynhausen, Lars Bökenkroger, has expressed frustration with the limitations of municipal power in addressing these issues, citing restrictions on video surveillance due to data protection laws and the inability to ensure proper integration of migrants.
