Should it always be communicated what nationality a suspect is? There is no nationwide response from politics. The Munich police now face criticism with their solution.
- Should the police state the nationality of suspects? The interior ministers recently found no common line.
- Munich police spokesman Marcus da Gloria Martins has now explained his own approach in an interview.
- An “exception” to the rule is met with fierce criticism online.
Munich - Since the rampage in the Olympia shopping center in 2016, the public relations work of the Munich police has actually been exemplary. However, speaker Marcus da Gloria Martins and his colleagues are now criticizing an already controversial topic:
The question is whether and when the nationalities of suspects should be published. Even the Conference of Interior Ministers recently failed due to an agreement - apparently no unified line could be found. In this respect, the state police are left to their own devices on this issue. Or, ultimately, the official who created the press report.
Police Munich: In principle, no information about the nationality of suspects - but there are several "but"
Da Gloria Martins has now described the usual procedure of the Munich police in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . According to him, there are clear rules for naming the origin of suspects and perpetrators . However, they cannot be classified in a generally applicable scheme based on the principle “everyone is equal before the law”. And that is exactly what is causing some violent criticism on the Internet.
" As a basic principle, we do not make any statements about the nationality of suspects, only about age and gender," da Gloria Martins told the newspaper. However, he also mentioned exceptions .
Da Gloria Martins explains police action: Interest in the nationality of refugees "not only in marginalized groups"
There are special regulations, for example, in the case of tourists, travelers or homeless people. The latter often had a “Southeast European connection” in Munich, said the police spokesman , which the reader must be able to classify - “and the exception also applies to migrants who have come to Munich since 2015 as part of the large refugee movement.”
When asked why this group was excluded, Gloria Martins provided a very explosive explanation: "There is undoubtedly a great deal of public interest in this group , not only in marginalized ideological groups," the FAZ quotes. Citizens wanted to know whether these people were committing “more crimes”, the spokesman said. And added that the interest "comes from the middle of society, we can not ignore it".
"By naming the nationality we want to document that nothing is covered up," emphasized da Gloria Martins. It also became clear when the press archive was viewed that asylum seekers did not appear in the police reports as often as "as is claimed by some interest groups". At the same time, he admitted that it was not a solution that satisfied everyone.
Police dispute over naming nationalities: "Decided to intensify racism" - Police Munich in criticism
Criticism quickly arose - among other things from journalists , the group that works with the information provided by the police. "How do you want your audience to know if these people are 'committing more crimes' if you just highlight this group but not everyone else?" Asked Buzzfeed reporter Marcus Engert on Twitter.
Correctiv editor-in-chief Daniel Drepper even accused the Munich police of "deliberately and deliberately" producing distortions to the disadvantage of a vulnerable population group. In another tweet, he became more drastic: "I'll translate that: Because the people are racist, the Munich police decided to further intensify this racism with their press releases ."
Munich: City Council candidate criticizes police - "normal people" as an "ideological fringe group"?
Shortly after the interview was published, Munich's local politicians also had their say. The SPD city council candidate Lena Odell, for example, asked the police for a daily press release "with the exact number of 'these migrants' who did not commit any crime on the day". "My ideological fringe group, the normal people, is interested in this," she tweeted with a sarcastic undertone.
Dear @PolizeiMuenchen,
then I would like to have a PM from you every day with the exact number of "these migrants" who did not commit any crime on that day. My ideological fringe group, normal people, is interested in that. https://t.co/UYjHbkqA9J
"Already the discrimination after immigration year is illegal," complained another user. In view of the interview, a commentator asked in a tweet " Germany-wide regulations ". "The police in Munich seem overwhelmed by the many wishes of the supposed center of society, what a neutral reporting of the state executive should look like," she said.
Zoff about the Munich police's guideline: "Justified interest"?
In fact, there is already a guideline - albeit vague - on the subject. The press code states that the mention of belonging to a minority should not “lead to a discriminatory generalization of individual misconduct”. "As a rule, affiliation should not be mentioned unless there is a legitimate public interest."
On the one hand, the press code is only a voluntary commitment. On the other hand, it applies primarily to the media and not to the police. Politics could actually be in demand. Because the balance between "justified public interest" and an impending "discriminatory generalization" - it is obviously not a very trivial one.
Police: name the nationality of suspects? Several federal states are going on the offensive
At least several state police have now issued clear guidelines. In Hamburg, Mecklenburg-West Pomerania and Saxony, the nationality of suspects should always be communicated in future. North Rhine-Westphalia recently planned on such a regulation.
After all, this would guarantee a clear overall picture without "distortions". Even if the question remains whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of this practice. Finally, official crime statistics also provide an overview of the distribution of crime and population groups. They also provide the most detailed information - some with surprising results for the requester.
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