Recent attempts to clamp down on violence against women have been criticised for curving around the significant impact of uncontrolled borders.
A banner held by two leftist activists at a vigil for a woman stabbed to death in Fulda, central Germany, last Monday read:
Dead men don’t kill.
It added that “our grief turns to anger”—apparently directed at all men. But reports point to an increase in the number of sexual offences in particular committed by foreign nationals in recent years, with 25 cases of sexual violence perpetrated by non-German individuals every day in 2023. The number of illegal migrants suspected of violent crimes also saw a dramatic increase in Germany in 2024, especially among Turks, Egyptians, and Ukrainians.
Journalist Selma Fatogun noted that violence against women and girls in Germany is often “perpetrated by a specific group of men … from predominantly Islamic countries who do not share our liberal values.”
Promising before becoming chancellor to tackle crime against women and girls, Friedrich Merz proposed “harsher punishments, mandatory anti-aggression training and prevention” and was widely mocked for making no mention of controlling borders.
„Gewalt gegen Frauen darf in Deutschland keinen Platz haben. Die aktuellen Zahlen sind alarmierend. Mit härteren Strafen, verpflichtenden Anti-Aggressionstrainings und Prävention müssen wir dafür sorgen, dass Frauen in unserem Land in Sicherheit leben können.“ ™ pic.twitter.com/GNbZyZ9nj2
Former CDU official Erika Steinbach stressed that deportations (“finally!”) would help the situation and civil servant Hans-Georg Maaßen asked: “Why aren’t we allowed to decide who we let into our homes?” Fresh restrictions against family reunifications for migrants are unlikely to convince critics that enough is being done to address the situation.
The holders of the “dead men don’t kill” sign are currently being investigated on suspicion of public incitement to commit crimes, according to local media, and the Fulda Feminist Initiative which organised the vigil has distanced itself from the call from violence.
Michael Curzon is a news writer for europeanconservative.com based in England’s Midlands. He is also Editor of Bournbrook Magazine, which he founded in 2019, and previously wrote for London’s Express Online. His Twitter handle is @MichaelCurzon_.
