Press release on racist-motivated police violence against an African in Brandenburg by African/Black Community (ABC) in Germany
Berlin, 11.11.2019
Press release of the African/Black Community (ABC) in Germany
About the racist-motivated police violence against an African in Brandenburg:
On 04.11.2019 Mr. Lazare M. went to the payment desk of the social office (district Märkisch-Oderland) to get his benefits according to the asylum seeker law. The clerk arbitrarily cut his benefits with questionable statements. He asked the clerk to review her decision and was willing to find a compromise. Thereupon the clerk called the police to take Mr. Lazare M. out of the room/building. The police came, listened to the complaint from the person in charge and asked Mr. Lazare M. to leave the room.
It is the same procedure every time: The police come, listen to the complaint of the person in charge and lead the black people out without listening to their version. This happened only downstairs in the entrance area, but in the end this never led to a complaint against the racist clerk, Mr. Lazare M. reported afterward.
This time he did not want to take part in this racist harassment. He told the officials* several times that he only wanted to be heard before he left the room. He had put his arm through the pass-through opening of the safety glass and held on to the other side of the cash desk. Mr. Lazare M. tried to explain the situation from his point of view. The police officers* strictly refused to hear Mr. Lazare M.'s point of view and urged him to sign documents, which he refused.
A policeman began to count to three, then took out the car and beat Mr. Lazare M. with full physical exertion, who continued to hold his left hand to the other side of the counter. He was then beaten several times by several officers and thrown to the ground. The clerk "helped" the police to overwhelm Mr. Lazare M. by stabbing him with a ballpoint pen on his left hand from the other side. He fell to the ground and lost consciousness. When he woke up again, the policewomen* stood above him with their feet on his body.
He was taken to the hospital and only a blood sample was taken to check for drug or alcohol abuse. Again, this was done without his consent. A medical examination of his numerous injuries was not carried out.
The Brandenburger police had a press release published in which false statements were made for the public. The only fact is that he was neither under the influence of drugs nor alcohol.
The following day, Mr. Lazare M. had to be admitted to the hospital (Charité) again as an emergency because he was found unconscious at the station.
For the members of the African / Black Community, this incident is reminiscent of the Oury Jalloh case, which was murdered by Dessau police*.
According to the report of the investigation commission appointed by the initiative Oury Jalloh, he was first severely abused by the police and then burned under police custody in his cell.
Would the policemen have acted differently if it had been a white German?
For us, one thing is clear: this is a racist practice of the social welfare office and racist instruments of state power such as the police (-violence).
We members of the African / Black Community (ABC) demand the establishment of an independent commission to investigate the incident.
We call on all members of the African / Black Community (ABC) to become aware and alert and are very concerned about the increase in racist police violence against Africans.
We urge members of our communities to report incidents like this to us as soon as possible.
We call on the federal and state governments to take all measures to protect the members of the African / Black Community (ABC) from police violence and to fight efficiently against the racism against people of African origin / black people existing in German institutions in the sense of the International Decade for People of African Origin.
Contact: Siga Mbaraga, Tel.: 01577 / 9343935
For more info:
https://www.facebook.com/peace.int.org/videos/581444555730083/ or
https://www.facebook.com/peace.int.org/videos/1346207222217000/