Seven months after the violent New Year’s Eve riots shook the German capital, Berlin’s judicial system has once again shown its inability to respond effectively. Despite 670 suspects being identified, only two convictions have been recorded—raising concerns that little is being done to prevent such events from happening again.
The night of January 1 saw widespread chaos across Berlin, leaving 363 people injured, including a police officer and a child. The districts of Neukölln and Schöneberg were hit hardest, with illegal fireworks causing significant damage to buildings and infrastructure.
Among the 670 suspects identified so far, a majority appear to have a migration background. Authorities said 65 percent had non-German first names, many of them described as ‘typically Muslim.’ Several of those arrested were reportedly members of large Arab families who now hold German citizenship.
CDU MP Martin Pätzold criticised the judicial response, calling the results inadequate. “Even at first glance, a clear disproportion between the crime and the consequences is evident,” he said.
