Düsseldorf: Police officer kneels on the head of 15-year-old – captured on video

An officer kneels on the head of a 15-year-old during an operation in Düsseldorf. The policeman’s lawyer says: “Exemplary”.

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Florida: Police officers handcuff 8-year-olds

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Berlin / Düsseldorf.

• A video is circulating on social networks that reminds of the serious cases of police violence in the USA
• It shows how a police officer kneels on the head of a 15-year-old during an operation in Düsseldorf in order to fix him
• The policeman’s lawyer calls the operation “exemplary”
• A similar case in Frankfurt is also causing severe criticism – there, legal measures against a police officer have now been initiated

After the controversial use of a Düsseldorf police officers The civil servant’s lawyer defended his actions against a 15-year-old: “The operation went exactly as you train it,” lawyer Christoph Arnold told the German press agency on Tuesday: “That was a exemplary process.“

The policeman had the youth in front of a fast restaurant in the Düsseldorf old town with his Knees on head fixed and so held on the ground. The officer is now being investigated.

As the policeman’s lawyer explained, the 15-year-old still had one arm free under his body on the floor. That is one dangerous situation for the officers, because he could push himself up or, for example, too a weapon could bring out. Therefore, his client fixed him on the floor with his shin on his head. “That’s how it’s taught,” said Arnold. An officer would never put pressure on the neck.

A 15-year-old is lying on the floor with a policeman kneeling on him

In the social network Twitter a video of the scene surfaced on Saturday evening. In the video, the young person is lying on his stomach on the floor. His arms are on his back fixed with handcuffs.

While a policeman kneels on the youth’s back, the officer in question presses the young man’s head and neck with his knee. In the video you can also hear passers-by and probably also the filmmaker himself. Somebody says, “get down on your knee, brother” and “that’s not funny”.

The scene is reminiscent of the violent one Death of the African American George Floyd At the end of May this year in Minneapolis in the US state of Minnesota. A US police officer had his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. Floyd died – nationwide protests and riots have rocked the United States ever since.

Police officers had been called because of rioters

The Düsseldorf police stated that they only became aware of the video on Sunday morning, which spread rapidly on social networks.

Officials were called to the Schnell restaurant on Saturday because of a group of around ten rioters. While the police wanted to clarify what was happening on site and take down the personal details, apparently at around 7.30 p.m. he initially had uninvolved young people the officers attacked.

Police in Duisburg are investigating the operation

The 15-year-old mobbed and attacked the officers and refused to let himself be tied up. Then he was brought to the ground and then to the identification been taken to the guard. Then he was “handed over to the care of his legal guardians,” the police said.

The Video will be analyzed and evaluated intensively – also with regard to the nature of the police operation, the statement said. And further: “For reasons of neutrality, the processing of the suspicion of an official offense is directed by the police headquarters in Duisburg.”

Read also:
Does Germany have a problem with racism and police violence?

Comment:
Beware of blanket judgments – police officers are not cops!

The policeman is still young – but was his action justified?

According to its own statements, the Interior Ministry tried to clarify whether the Fixation technique is currently being trained by the police and when it may be used according to the service and operational regulations. A spokesman said the police officer in question was just beginning his career.

The Duisburg police will determine to what extent the specific situation justifies his action. Depending on the outcome of the investigation, could disciplinary consequences the ministry said: “But everything is still open.”

Background:
These people died in Germany after police operations

State parliament deals with the incident

The video also deals with state politics. The SPD opposition in the state parliament requested a current quarter of an hour for the meeting of the interior committee on Thursday. The SPD expected in the meeting of Minister of the Interior Herbert Reul (CDU) a comprehensive statement and the first results of the investigation of the incident by the Duisburg police, it said.

The video shows “disturbing sequences,” said the SPD MPs Sven Wolf and Hartmut Ganzke. “We had hoped that we would never see such pictures after the tragic death of George Floyd in Germany,” emphasized the two SPD state parliamentarians.

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War in America’s cities – situation in the USA is coming to a head

Interior Minister Reul: Knees on the ear would be allowed

NRW Interior Minister Reul announced a consequent enlightenment on. “I was also scared,” said Reul on Monday about the video.

The minister explained that the young man’s knees and shins “on the ear” were basically due to the operational guidelines of the National Police been covered. This would not be allowed on the neck. What exactly happened at that moment must therefore now be “objectively clarified”.

Police union: Police are allowed to use this technology

From the perspective of Police Union (GdP) In North Rhine-Westphalia there is no doubt that when arrested, officials “may fix people by the head or neck on the floor in special situations”. A spokesman said on Monday when asked. “The usual techniques”, however, start at the pelvis or shoulder, said the speaker: “The head is actually taboo.”