In recent days, climate activists of the last generation have once again blocked the streets in Berlin. A video shows police officers using force to break a blockade and hurt a threatened activist. The video raises questions and the incident is being investigated by the police.
Footage released by MDR shows a Berlin police officer standing in front of an activist during Thursday’s protest, warning him that he will hurt him if he doesn’t leave the street voluntarily (see below).
“Will have pain when chewing”
“If I hurt you, if you force me, you will have pain in chewing and swallowing for the next few days, not just today, days,” the policeman threatened. “It’s not too bad. You don’t have to do that,” the activist replies. The policeman again asks him to leave the street, “otherwise I will hurt you”.
After the climate activist remains seated, the policeman grabs him by the jaw and pulls him up. Together with a colleague, he tries to drag the man off the street. The police officers also use so-called pain grips. The activist shouts loudly.
The video, which was posted to Instagram on Friday evening, has been the subject of heated debate online. The deployment of the police is sometimes harshly criticized, the last generation speaks of “torturous methods” in this context and refers to previous cases where pain grips were used that are “incompatible with the UN ban on torture”.
“pain is not a proven remedy”
The police law expert Tobias Singelnstein assesses this in a similar way in an interview with the MDR. On the video he sees illegal police violence: “The police should always look for the mildest way to achieve their goal. In the case of such peaceful sit-ins, it is usually the milder option to take them with them. Legally, pain grips are so not a proven method.”
Manuel Ostermann, CDU politician and deputy federal chairman of the German police union, sees it differently. For him, the police officer’s action is “exercise of coercion after a previous threat,” he wrote in the short message service Twitter. “The disruptor did not respond to the request in advance and therefore the next mildest and most suitable means was chosen”.
The police are investigating the incident
In the meantime, the Berlin police have also responded: “A video is currently circulating on the internet showing a coercive measure taken by a colleague in connection with the April 20 climate protests. The video is known here and is being monitored,” said Twitter.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
