We are too liberal

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 custody, 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 on 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 some fresh air, smoke with a friend. The two go to the spa park, sit on a bench. Exactly what 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 press reports that the young men looked Sudanese. But three Germans were also involved. Some wore Adidas training pants.

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, stands in front of the door. She sees the ambulance. Philippos dies two days later in the hospital from his severe injuries. "I am speechless about what happened, what the family had to witness", says Mayor Bökenkroger to Markus Lanz.

The alleged perpetrator is in custody. 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 say: 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 security. 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 going through the same thing as 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 who behave criminally in our society. 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 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 the security systems for more than twenty years. Dürr: "We are open-minded. But we want people to come to us who want to work and 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 highlights the concern about criminality among migrants, as the alleged perpetrator, an 18-year-old Syrian, is under investigation for manslaughter.
In light of the violent incident, North Rhine-Westphalia's mayors, like Lars Bökenkroger of Bad Oeynhausen, are advocating for stricter integration policies to prevent future incidents.
FDP fraction leader Christian Dürr, recognizing the issue, has proposed a tighter approach to migration, emphasizing the need for migrants to integrate fully into German society and for the government to facilitate deportations to countries like Afghanistan and Syria.
Under the pressure of increased criminality and the responsibility to ensure public safety, Dürr and other political leaders are urging for a shift in politics, advocating for more stringent measures to promote integration and maintain law and order.