On Tuesday, numbers of women in Germany was reported to have been sexually assaulted by 'Arab-looking men' during New Year's Eve celebration in the Western city of Cologne. German leaders and officials were surprised by the report. The government then released a warning against 'anti-migrant' scapegoating.
Security officials said that it is still unclear whether the offenders were recently arrived migrants. These reports regarding sexual assault are adding more fire to what has already been a blazing issue of whether Germany should or should not accommodate refugees from Afghanistan, Africa, and Middle-East.
It has been said that the Police in Cologne received 90 criminal complaints on Tuesday morning. And according to a spokesman for the municipal Police in Germany's fourth largest city, the witnesses were saying that these men physically appears to be a North African or Arab. The witnesses also said that they were surrounded by these group of men whose age ranges from 20-30 years old. They were assaulted and in several cases robbed. One woman also reported that she was raped and was allegedly committed in public during the year-end festivities outside Cologne's main train station.There have been reports as well that the same incidents also occurred in Stuttgart and Humburg, though the numbers were fewer. So far there has been no arrests made.
Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a thorough investigating of the 'repugnant' attacks. Steffen Seibert, the Chancellor's spokesman said, that they already called Cologne's mayor, Henriette Reker to express her 'outrage' over the violence. The Chancellor then demanded a tough response and that everything must be done to find as many of the perpetrators as quickly as possible and bring them justice, regardless of their origin and background.
German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday, "What took place that night has never happened in such a form before. It's a new dimension we will have to deal with."
Last year, one million migrants has said to have entered Germany and it has sparked public concerns about how Germany would be able to integrate them or control the risks involve. Some official say that criminals could be among the migrants and so they released a fair warning to everyone. Meanwhile, Chancellor Merkel addressed the public in her televised New Year's Day speech to continue to welcome the refugees despite mounting criticism and to reject unfair ideologues whipping up anti-migrant sentiment.
