The video of an arrest in Göttingen is making the rounds on Twitter. It could spark a new debate about police violence in Germany.
Göttingen – A man is being held on the ground by four police officers and is fighting vehemently. Mobbing, screaming, wriggling. Again and again one of the policemen hits the man lying on the ground in the face with his fist. Blood drips on the paved floor. To handcuff the man who opposed his arrest, one of the officers placed his knee on the man’s neck. Scenes that an eyewitness of the arrest filmed early Sunday morning (July 18, 2021) around 6:40 a.m. and promptly published the video of what was happening at the Kornmarkt in the pedestrian zone in Göttingen on Twitter. But also scenes that have the potential to spark the debate about police violence in Germany as well.
As the police in Göttingen announced, the 28-year-old, allegedly intoxicated man was slightly injured during arrest and taken to a hospital for medical treatment. One of the policemen was also slightly injured and treated in the hospital. He is “not on duty until further notice.”
Police violence in Germany? Video of brutal arrest in Göttingen causes a stir
According to a police press release, the 28-year-old had already been noticed by officials in several places in Göttingen “through verbally aggressive behavior and provocative gestures towards patrol cars passing by”. At the Göttingen Kornmarkt he finally stood in front of the police vehicle and prevented it from continuing. When asked to identify himself, the man reacted aggressively and, according to the police, approached the officers with a threatening posture.
“All attempts to have a calming effect on him failed,” say the police. One of the police officers finally tried to overpower the rioter. They both fell to the ground, where the man continued to defend himself “with massive blows and kicks”. As a result, another police patrol was alerted and the man was “overwhelmed and tied up” with their help. According to the police, the exact course of events is “unclear and part of further investigations”. For this purpose, the recording from a body cam that one of the police officers involved carried and recorded the operation should also be evaluated. But the police also commented on the video circulating on Twitter in their message.
CN – Crass # police violence in # Göttingen!
With his knee in the neck, a policeman hits a man lying on the ground several times in the face and on the head with his fist. The blood splatters on the floor.
This is also part of the #Polizeiproblem | s!
pic.twitter.com/DmjD2O5eHr
– Timon Dzienus (@Dzienus) July 18, 2021
Police violence? According to the Göttingen police, the video only shows “part of the sequence of events”
Accordingly, the video, which an “unknown witness recorded with his cell phone” and finally published on Twitter, was “after an initial assessment probably a partial sequence of the course of events”. Nevertheless: The pictures raise questions. Because the actions of the officials – in particular the positioning of an official’s knee on the man’s neck – are strongly reminiscent of that in the George Floyd case, which in the USA more than a year ago sparked a wave of indignation and worldwide protests against police violence has led. He is considered to be the origin of the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
The police initiated an investigation against the 28-year-old man from Göttingen. Among other things because of resistance to law enforcement officers, assault on police officers and insult. (yw)
