Berlin: Students should not call police on migrant sexual offenders

The General Students’ Committee (AStA) of the Free University of Berlin (FU) warned in a circular email not only against a man who has repeatedly sexually harassed and threatened female students for some time now, but also against calling the Berlin police if they come into contact with him. People who meet him and feel harassed by him are strongly advised not to do so. Instead, they should first contact the university’s security service.

Alerting the police could lead to “police violence” according to the council. “We would like to point out that police interventions for people affected by racism are always accompanied by an increased risk of experiencing police violence,” the AStA letter stated. It is said to have been sent to the university groups and student council initiatives last week.

According to the letter, the man has repeatedly appeared at various buildings at the FU, which is dotted around the area of Dahlem in southwestern Berlin. He has been threatening students for several weeks and has behaved in an aggressive and intrusive manner towards women. So far, he has not physically assaulted anyone, but there have been repeated threats of violence. He is said to have stalked one person for some time.

Complaints against migrant continue

Also according to the FU, complaints of harassment continue to be lodged. Upon request, the FU confirmed “that in the past there have been several complaints from university members about harassment on campus by a person not affiliated with the university”. This person has been banned from the campus and measures have been taken to ensure that this ban is adhered to.

For reasons of data protection, it is not possible to say whether this is the same person who was pictured and named in the letter from the AStA. The Berlin police meanwhile confirmed a complaint about a sexual insult from December.

According to the AStA, the alleged racism is not the only reason for not calling the police. From their point of view, the officers are “not sufficiently trained in dealing with exceptional psychological situations”, the letter continued. Therefore, such operations are often “escalated by the unnecessary use of force”.

Such a concern does not take into account the dangers for a potential victim, but rather exonerates the perpetrator in advance, since the latter is often in such an “exceptional situation”.

The Social Psychiatric Service has been recommended as an alternative to the police and “a much better option”. However, the authors noted that this service could only be of use if the person concerned has given their consent. They do not speculate as to how they expect the alleged sex offender to give this consent. Elsewhere, in fact, they concede that he has so far not shown any willingness to change his behaviour: “Sometimes it is hardly possible to talk to him.”

The Berlin police reacted with incomprehension to the AStA’s text. “Advising victims of sexual violence not to press charges can have long-lasting consequences for the psyche of the person affected,” said spokesperson Beate Ostertag. “The feeling of powerlessness and helplessness that arises in the experience of the crime can become entrenched.”

In addition, she stressed, there are possibilities under the law on the prevention of danger to protect further victims from assault, if necessary. The university has already been contacted about the matter, Ostertag added.