Spain: Radical Christians from Germany in court after mass panic

Seven Germans have been on trial in Spain since Monday for triggering a mass panic in a subway.

The evangelical Christians are accused of provoking a panic by preaching in a crowded subway in Valencia, in which several people were injured, according to court documents.

According to the newspaper "Las Provincias", witnesses said in court that they had thought the appearance of the men was an attack.

The Germans between 19 and 42 years of age are accused of disturbing public order.

They had entered the Valencia subway in August 2018 with a large red cross and several suitcases.

One of the men was wearing a vest with Arabic script.

The defendants are said to have turned to the people on the train with a megaphone and shouted, among other things: “We have a message for you.

This metro is full of sin, drugs and fornication ”and“ Do not be afraid, only fear sin ”.

The question: who caused the panic?

Several people were injured as the panicked travelers pushed off the subway.

The prosecution demands four years imprisonment for each of the accused.

According to the newspaper "Las Provincias", however, the accused pleaded not guilty.

They therefore argue that the panic was not triggered by one's own sermon.

Rather, heckling from rail travelers would have provoked the unrest.

The group “Become Light” can be found again and again in the pedestrian zones of large cities in Germany and Switzerland.

According to the Swiss news portal 20min.ch, "Become Light" is on the move with its aggressive rhetoric on the radical and fundamentalist fringes of the free churches.

In addition to flyers with often crude messages, they also distribute Bibles, some in Arabic.

In doing so, they are trying to "convert" people of the Muslim faith.

Icon: The mirror

jok / AFP