Deadly attack - Mayor of Bad Oeynhausen: heated atmosphere
In the case of the lethal attack on a 20-year-old in Bad Oeynhausen and the detention of a Syrian suspect, the mayor called for an open and differentiated political debate. The incident in the city park in Ostwestfalen-Lippe on the night of June 22 had deeply affected the people there, said Lars Bökenkroger (CDU) to the German Press Agency. "Many are shocked, speechless, and angry about this crime." The relatives of the victim were "deeply mourning, almost broken," he described.
Heated political atmosphere
The case has fueled a national debate for days on immigration and deportation of foreign criminals. The Bundestag dealt with the topic on a Wednesday, and the Duesseldorf state parliament was to address it on a FDP motion on this Friday. He found the political atmosphere to be heated, receiving many letters and emails, said Bökenkroger.
Although he had no direct contact with the relatives, who did not live in Bad Oeynhausen but in neighboring communities, the mother of the victim had clearly expressed herself on social media, as had the victim's uncle at the memorial service in the past week. They were fundamentally against violence and explicitly did not want their loved one's violent death to be politically exploited, emphasized the mayor.
The suspect was a Syrian who had lived in a "normal multi-family house in Bad Oeynhausen" with his family, clarified the CDU municipal politician. He had definitely not lived in a refugee home. The statement of Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) that the accused had lived in a refugee accommodation for eight years was "very confusing" and not accurate. Faeser had also spoken of a failed social integration, which had caused criticism.
Bökenkroger stated that the suspect had come to Germany in 2016 and had gone through the school system for years. He had only moved to Bad Oeynhausen about eight months ago. He had a job prospect there. The family of the accused was completely unknown to him. They had not received any municipal benefits.
A necessary discussion
"An open discussion is necessary," said Bökenkroger. "There are many cases of crime, even committed by migrants. We have to show them up." Debates on the topic in the Bundestag and the North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament were important and right. But above all, he emphasized: "We municipalities are at our limits and in some places even beyond them," he said, looking at immigration, integration, and the situation also in kindergartens and schools. "We need support from the federal government and the state, we need all political levels. We as municipalities cannot take in and integrate any more refugees and migrants." We are not doing justice to children and young people if there are classes with a migration share "of 70 or 80 percent."
Criminal proceedings are ongoing.
The 18-year-old suspect remains in investigative detention for manslaughter and grievous bodily harm - and remains silent. According to the Bielefeld Public Prosecutor's Office, the Syrian allegedly did not know the 20-year-old beforehand, attacked him unexpectedly, struck him on the head, and stepped on his head. The young man died a few days later. The trigger and motive for the violent act remain unclear. The accused had previously come to the attention of the authorities due to violent crime, property crime, and drug offenses, but had not been convicted before.
Union faction leader Friedrich Merz in the Bundestag called on the traffic light coalition: "Stop denying the problems in our country." Saxony's Interior Minister Armin Schuster (CDU) demanded a "Stop to Asylum Entry" and an "Expulsion Offensive for Multiple and Serious Offenders". In the NRW Landtag, there will be discussions in the morning about which measures the state government will take "to improve the security situation".
- The heated political atmosphere following the lethal attack in Bad Oeynhausen has led to a national debate on immigration and deportation of foreign criminals in the German Bundestag and Duesseldorf state parliament.
- Lars Bökenkroger, the CDU mayor of Bad Oeynhausen, called for an open and differentiated political debate, emphasizing that many residents were shocked, speechless, and angry about the crime.
- Bökenkroger clarified that the Syrian suspect had lived in a multi-family house in Bad Oeynhausen with his family, not in a refugee home, which contradicted claims made by Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.
- The incident in East Westphalia-Lippe has raised concerns about integration and social issues in Germany, with some critics arguing that failed social integration played a role in the crime.
- The Bundestag and North Rhine-Westphalia state parliament are discussing measures to improve security and support municipalities dealing with high migration rates and integration challenges.
- The mother of the 20-year-old victim spoke out against politically exploiting her son's violent death, urging for an open and respectful conversation about the issues at hand.
- The case has drawn the attention of German and international media outlets, with the German Press Agency reporting on the developments in Bad Oeynhausen and the wider national debate on immigration and crime.
