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More than 100 sex assaults and muggings were reported in Cologne on
New Year's Eve
The victims said the assailants were gangs of men who appeared to be
Arab or North African
Berlin (CNN)Cologne's mayor has come under fire for advising women to
stay "an arm's length" from male strangers after alleged sexual assaults and
muggings during New Year's Eve festivities in the German city.
Germany has been shocked by the apparently coordinated crime wave, in which
Cologne police received more than 100 criminal complaints from women who
said they had been sexually assaulted or robbed by gangs of men of Arab or
North African appearance in the city center during New Year's Eve festivities.
Cologne police would not elaborate Wednesday on the total number of crimes
reported, as the figure continued to rise.
Police have said that about a quarter of the complaints related to sexual
assaults, including a rape, and that they believed the assaults were probably
intended to distract the victims, allowing attackers to steal mobile phones and
other devices.
Three suspects had been identified and were being questioned, a police
representative told CNN. Police were working through a large amount of
cellphone footage from the evening to identify further suspects.
Similar attacks were reported in Hamburg on New Year's Eve, with 39 reported
sexual assaults and 14 robberies, according to police in the city, while police in
Stuttgart said two women had reported their phones were missing after they
were assaulted by a group of men of Arab appearance during New Year's
festivities there.
Read more: Reports of New Year's Eve sex assaults in Cologne fuel German
migrant debate
A police car passes the central railway station in Cologne, Germany near where
a series of sex assaults allegedly occurred on New Year's Eve.
The episode has prompted angry protests, fueled public debate about
Germany's welcoming stance to migrants and unleashed a wave of anger at
authorities and the media for their perceived reticence in addressing the crimes,
out of a misplaced sense of political correctness.
Cologne Mayor Henriette Reker appeared to pour oil on the fire with her
remarks at a news conference Tuesday, at which she addressed the New Year's
crimes and discussed plans to issue guidelines for behavior during Cologne's
famous Carnival next month, when hundreds of thousands of revelers are
expected on the city's streets.
When asked how women could protect themselves, she suggested keeping "a
certain distance of more than an arm's length" from unknown men.
She reiterated her advice at an appearance on German public service
broadcaster ZDF's "Heute Journal" program Tuesday, when she said: "Women
would also be smart not to go and embrace everyone that you meet and who
seems to be nice. Such offers could be misunderstood, and that is something
every woman and every girl should protect herself from."
German broadcaster ZDF also issued an apology Tuesday for failing to report
on the attacks in a timely fashion on its "Heute Journal" show, after criticism that
the media had neglected to adequately cover the incidents because of
sensitivities concerning the alleged ethnic identities of the assailants.
In a statement, deputy editor Elmar Thevessen said the network had failed by
not reporting on the attacks during the Monday evening broadcast.
"It was our failure that the news broadcast at 7 p.m. did not inform about the
attacks on New Year's Eve," read the statement.
"The editorial department of 'Heute' decided to delay the report until today
because of an emergency meeting to gain time for additional interviews. This,
however, was a clear misjudgment."
German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere also criticized Cologne police for
their handling of the incident Wednesday, saying in a news conference that
police "cannot work that way."