Ichtershäuser Str. 37-39,
99310 Arnstadt,
11th November 2000.
To
Staatsanwaltschaft Meiningen,
Friedenssiedlung 14,
98617 Meiningen,
DENOUNCIATION OF NEO-NAZI ATTACK AND POLICE COMPLICITY
We, Fopa George, Patterson Kenwou and John Adana Resident in Arnstadt hereby agreed in good faith to denounce the Police complicity with the Neo Nazis to brutally humiliate us in the night of 21/22 October 2000 in Arnstadt.
That on the 21st October in Lindeneck Disco we were verbally and physically assaulted by some Germans while dancing in the said night club.At about 4 o’clock when we left the Lindeneck disco, some Germans of the same group of 15 then followed us with three cars and some moving on foot until we reached the Sud-bahnhof (Arnstadt). While coming after us they called us Niggers, Affe, Raus aus Deutschland and they also called our girlfriends schlampe.
When we got to Längwitzer strasse we decided to stop and let the group of Germans to pass-by because of possible fear of attack. The group of Germans met us a few meters from the sud-bahnhof directly infront the memorial monument for people who died as a result of the long march from Buchendwald in April 1945. At this point Patterson was directly attacked with punches by one of the 15 German aggressors who also called him various racist names like „Nigger, Ich Hasse Dich,Was machts du in Deutschland? Du muss raus gehen“. The same aggressor continued to punch Pattereson as he threw more racist insults on him.
After persistent punches by the same person, Patterson decided to respond with a punch and the other colleagues of the German racist group of 15 persons joined together to fight Patterson with weapons including baseball bats, sticks and at least a knife. Attempts by John to rescue Patterson led the group of neo- nazis to jointly attack John and Patterson. John retreated and then called the police for the first time using his mobile phone. After receiving more serious punches, Patterson fell to the ground and sustained bruises, and while lying there, the mob continuously kicked and punched him. Trying to rescue Patterson by raising him from the ground, John Adana was also beaten with the baseball bat and sticks which left him with injuries.
John later ran away to call the police for the second time, at this moment all the aggressors were concentrated on Patterson and inflicting more brutality on him. Being helpless and fearing the possible elimination and murder by the racist gang, Patterson recalled he had a play gun which he used to frighten the mob away leaving behind one of their three cars. The police arrived shortly after the group of aggressors took off and John immediately handed the keys of the car they had abandoned, John also tried to explain to the police the escape route the racist group of Germans took. In the presence of the police the racist gang reappeared again and even more aggressive this time swearing to deal with us. Police reaction towards us was blatantly negative, they refused to stop the racist gang from further attacking us. While John was even reporting the aggression to the police, the same aggressors continued to punch him without any intervention by the police.
Trying to defend himself from further attack, the police beat John with batons from which he sustained injuries in the hand and back. Patterson told the police of how we had been assaulted by the gang of aggressors but they in return told him to keep quiet, and that he’s an animal, a nigger and must go back to his bush in Africa from where he comes. When the police wanted to get Patterson handcuffed, he objected and question why he must be handcuffed. The police officers insisted that he must be handcuffed because he had a gun and that he’s an animal and deserves that. The police refused to listen when Patterson told them the gun is not real and that he uses it for games. The police continued all the time beating us while the other Germans took more advantage to also hit side by side with the police.
While Patterson was been brutalised and mishandled by the group of 15 Germans in the presence of the police, George tried to prevent the attack from going further but the police hit him with batons as well on his left shoulder and insulting him with racist words like nigger. One of the neo-nazis demanded a body search to be conducted on George, he (George) protested to the police but the police officers told him to do just what he was asked to do by the German. And so George was searched by this aggressors infront of the police officers. While the police tried to handcuff him, George said he wasn’t a criminal and would prefer to go with the police in liberty. At this juncture the police declared that if George refuses to be handcuffed he’ll be left behind with the group of Germans who had been aggressing us. George was terribly afraid of the possible danger he faces and so gave up himself to be handcuffed.
All of us were handcuffed brutally with more beatings received from the police and the gang of Germans who had been aggressing us. They forced us into the police cars and drove to the station while the gang of 15 Germans were left unarrested. They moved freely to the police station and mounted another confrontation on us. One of the German aggressors bought hot coffee from an automat in the police station and threw on the face of John Adana while the rest stood by laughing and insulting us with racist words. John reported this to the police but was only told to go and sit down. After all the racist insults at the police station, we were latter called to be photographed and give our identities. I John Adana was detained from 5 o’clock to 11 am, George Fopa was detained until 2 pm and Patterson Kenwou was detained from 5 am to 3 p.m. without water, food and warm clothing. He was even denied the right to a toilet when he requested. We have lost credibility in the police and feel even more threatened and insecure in police presence. They failed to protect us when we helplessly needed their protection.
Patterson Kenwou Georges Fopa John Adana
Cameroon Cameroon Sierra Leone