Teenager convicted in attack on Berlin homeless man
May 17, 2017
A Berlin court has convicted a teenage Syrian refugee of setting fire to a homeless man. The attack stirred anti-migrant sentiment across Germany. Cases involving six other suspects are ongoing.
The 17-year-old Syrian refugee received a more lenient sentence because the court found that he was not directly involved in the incident. Rather, by his own admission, he did not act when he realized that the man had been set on fire. The teenager is expected to skip detention, however, as his pre-trial custody counted towards the final sentence.
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The trial against the remaining six suspects, born in Syria and Libya and aged between 16 and 21, is scheduled to resume on Friday. They all stand accused of attempted murder. Only the 21-year-old, who reportedly admitted to starting the fire, is being tried as an adult. If found guilty, he would face up to at least three years in prison - the minimum sentence for attempted murder in Germany.
The man, a 37-year-old Polish national, was subsequently set on fire and was only rescued after passengers from an incoming subway carriage managed to put out the flames. The man was unhurt but all his possessions were destroyed.
Anti-migrant sentiment and stricter laws
The brutality of the crime stirred outrage, while its timing only stoked anti-migrant sentiment. The attack came just two weeks after Tunisian asylum-seeker Anis Amri plowed a truck into a Berlin Christmas market, killing 12 people and injuring almost 50. Also around that time, police released surveillance footage from October of a man kicking a young woman down a set of stairs in another Berlin subway station, breaking her arm. Initial speculation thought the perpetrator to be of Middle Eastern or North African, although it was quickly revealed that the 27-year-old man was a Bulgarian national.
The spate of attacks saw the government introduce new video surveillance systems. However, they also prompted discussions over the shortcomings in Germany's ability to integrate so-called "unaccompanied minors" seeking refugee status. Those discussions soon developed into calls for the men to be expelled from Germany and sent back to their home countries, regardless of the danger that could pose to their lives.
Although Germany is yet to revise its deportation laws, it has stepped up in forcefully repatriating failed asylum-seekers including, controversially, those hailing from Afghanistan.
How did Europe's refugee crisis start?
From escalating violence in the Middle East and Africa to incoherent asylum policy at home - DW looks at how the EU has found itself in the midst of a refugee crisis.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Fleeing war and poverty
In late 2014, with the war in Syria approaching its fourth year and Islamic State making gains in the north of the country, the exodus of Syrians intensified. At the same time, others were fleeing violence and poverty in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Somalia, Niger and Kosovo.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Seeking refuge over the border
Vast numbers of Syrian refugees had been gathering in border-town camps in neighboring Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan since 2011. By 2015, with the camps full to bursting and residents often unable to find work or educate their children, more and more people decided to seek asylum further afield.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
A long journey on foot
In 2015 an estimated 1.5 million people made their way on foot from Greece towards western Europe via the "Balkan route". The Schengen Agreement, which allows passport-free travel within much of the EU, was called into question as refugees headed towards the wealthier European nations.
Image: Getty Images/M. Cardy
Desperate sea crossings
Tens of thousands of refugees were also attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean on overcrowded boats. In April 2015, 800 people of various nationalities drowned when a boat traveling from Libya capsized off the Italian coast. This was to be just one of many similar tragedies - by the end of the year, nearly 4,000 refugees were reported to have died attempting the crossing.
Image: Reuters/D. Zammit Lupi
Pressure on the borders
Countries along the EU's external border struggled to cope with the sheer number of arrivals. Fences were erected in Hungary, Slovenia, Macedonia and Austria. Asylum laws were tightened and several Schengen area countries introduced temporary border controls.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/B. Mohai
Closing the open door
Critics of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's "open-door" refugee policy claimed it had made the situation worse by encouraging more people to embark on the dangerous journey to Europe. By September 2016, Germany had also introduced temporary checks on its border with Austria.
Image: Reuters/F. Bensch
Striking a deal with Turkey
In early 2016, the EU and Turkey signed an agreement under which refugees arriving in Greece could be sent back to Turkey. The deal has been criticized by human rights groups and came under new strain following a vote by the European Parliament in November to freeze talks on Turkey's potential accession to the EU.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Altan
No end in sight
With anti-immigration sentiment in Europe growing, governments are still struggling to reach a consensus on how to handle the continuing refugee crisis. Attempts to introduce quotas for the distribution of refugees among EU member states have largely failed. Conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere show no signs coming to an end, and the death toll from refugee sea crossings is on the rise.
