Oldenburg rages: After Lorenz's death, cars and garbage cans burn!

Oldenburg rages: After Lorenz's death, cars and garbage cans burn!

After the fatal police sweetness on the 21-year-old Lorenz in Oldenburg, numerous demonstrations took place in which up to 10,000 people took part. The incident occurred on the night of Easter Sunday, when Lorenz, who previously fueled the Situation with pepper spray and had a knife with him, was shot by the police. As a result, there were tensions in the city and several rallies that were mostly peaceful. However, several fire broke out after the large demonstration: a Molotow cocktail was thrown onto the car of the operator of a disco, before which the dispute took place, which led to Lorenz's death. In addition, tires of a coach and several garbage cans were set on fire, but there were no injuries. The police could not demonstrate a direct connection between the fire and demonstrations.

According to the current investigations, a police officer gave at least four shots on Lorenz, three of whom met him from behind, and his injuries led to his death in the hospital. According to the incident, the 27-year-old police officer was temporarily suspended from duty, and the public prosecutor's office in Oldenburg has initiated a proceedings for manslaughter against him. Video and audio recordings and radio traffic from the police are now evaluated, while further witnesses are asked to clarify the facts. The mayor of Oldenburg, Jürgen Krogmann, was exposed to sharp criticism during the rally because he was not present.

claims for independent investigation

politicians from the left and the Greens are calling for an independent investigative authority to ensure transparency and justice. Lamya Kaddor from the Greens expressed legitimate doubts about the proportionality of police action, while the left-wing member of the Bundestag Clara Bünger demanded extensive powers for an independent authority. However, the CDU and the police union (GdP) reject these claims; Countertlocal Alexander Throm expressed confidence in the professionalism of the existing investigation, and Jochen Kopelke, the Federal Chairman of the GdP, emphasized that sufficient precautionary measures are taken to avoid conflicts of interest.

background of police force

The events in Oldenburg are not isolated, but feaks in a greater context of the discussion about police violence in Germany. The Lorenz case is part of a more intensive examination of police violence, which has increasingly come into focus since George Floyd's death in the USA. A study by the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main deals with the topic and defines police violence as excessive physical use of violence by police officers. Frequent triggers are poor communication, stress and discriminatory behavior. Criminologist Tobias Singelnstein emphasizes that the police may use violence in certain situations, but should only happen in relatively.

The regulations for prosecution in police force are increasingly being considered in public, since so far there were hardly any criminal proceedings against civil servants in Germany. Among other things, the study recommends a reform of the criminal processing of police violence and an improvement in police training to prevent incidents such as the shooting of Lorenz.