A resident in Rostock-Lichtenhagen was attacked by strangers with a liquid that caused severe burning and reddening of his skin. According to the police on Sunday, the suspects, masked, knocked on the window of the 25-year-old victim on the ground floor of the sunflower house on Saturday night. He opened the window and was then sprayed with the liquid on his face and bare chest.
According to a police spokesman, the emergency services perceived the smell of chili or tabasco. Acid was initially not to speak, also because the skin of the victim showed no chemical burns. He was taken to a hospital for medical treatment. The criminal police are investigating on suspicion of dangerous bodily harm.
It was initially unclear whether the act was related to an incident on the sidelines of Saturday’s demonstration. Thousands of people gathered in Rostock-Lichtenhagen on Saturday to commemorate the racist attacks in the district 30 years ago.
During the demonstration, the anti-fascist Twitter account Alerta Berlin published footage of the victim’s apartment – a man is said to have given the Hitler salute from the ground floor window. The police are now not only determining whether there is a connection between the recordings and the crime, but also whether someone actually gave the Hitler salute during the commemoration event.
When asked by epd, a police spokesman confirmed that the man seen was the later attack victim and that the apartment was the crime scene. The spokesman pointed out that neither the photo nor the video showed a Hitler salute. Nevertheless, he spoke of an initial suspicion that the police were investigating.
In Rostock-Lichtenhagen 30 years ago, a mob of right-wing extremists and rioters tried for days to storm the accommodations of foreigners, to the applause of onlookers. 150 people were in mortal danger after the home of the former Vietnamese GDR contract workers was set on fire. More than 200 police officers were injured, one seriously. The pictures went around the world and caused horror.
In the past few days, the events have been commemorated. On Saturday there was a demonstration against racism through Lichtenhagen, according to the police 3600 people took part. The event was therefore peaceful.
In 1992, hundreds of right-wing extremists in Rostock’s Lichtenhagen district attacked a block of flats with stones and Molotov cocktails that housed a hostel for asylum seekers and a dormitory for former Vietnamese contract workers. Thousands of residents applauded, the police were overwhelmed.
Source: WORLD / Max Seib