An Interview with Cologne’s Mayor: ‘I Have Been Subjected to a Ton of Ridicule and Criticism’

SPIEGEL: Ms. Reker, where did we applaud New Year’s Eve?

Reker: At home.

SPIEGEL: And when did we initial learn about a events that took place during Cologne’s executive steer station?

Reker: we review about them in a journal on Jan. 2. There was a tiny essay saying that a stairs to a cathedral had been cleared, nonetheless zero really thespian seemed to have happened. That was a conditions as we accepted it final Saturday morning. Then, late in a afternoon, a military sensitive me. It wasn’t until Tuesday that we had a extensive overview.

SPIEGEL: Can we explain given it took so prolonged before a range of a play became clear?

Reker: No. The military have pronounced that a rapist complaints customarily came in tiny by little. On a tangible day, there had customarily been 3 puncture calls. And, as apart as we know, 19 rapist complaints were purebred with a sovereign military inside a steer station.

SPIEGEL: How could it be that a military spoke of a “festive mood” in a matter expelled on a morning of New Year’s Day?

Reker: That is unfit for me to understand.

SPIEGEL: Was this a disaster of a perfume military as German Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière has suggested?

Reker: In any case, they did not perform their avocation in this situation.

SPIEGEL: What was a reason? Have people mislaid steer of crime on a travel out of fear of militant attacks?

Reker: I’m not a military officer, nonetheless when groups of people organisation together and women have to run a gauntlet between a executive hire and a cathedral (which is located adjacent to it), afterwards it should be noticed. Back in Oct 2014, a vital critique by Hogesa (Hooligans opposite Salafists) further got out of control in front of a steer station. The block is like a executive shaken system, and it’s not customarily a place where people party. On a day like New Year’s, we have to compensate courtesy to what is function there.

Photo Gallery:
Germany’s Night of Horror

SPIEGEL: The chancellor even contacted we with uncharacteristic haste. How do we perspective a reprove from Berlin?

Reker: There was no rebuke. we guess it was good that Chancellor Merkel sought to find out what happened here. She apparently fast purebred that a incidents in perfume were not a internal problem, nonetheless rather something that could turn a plea for all of us.

SPIEGEL: Now a chancellor, a interior minister, a probity apportion and many others are perfectionist that a culprits be tracked down as fast as probable and that a full force of a law be applied.

Reker: Obviously, of course.

SPIEGEL: But is that even realistic?

Reker: we cruise it will be really difficult. The military contend it will be tough for a victims to brand a perpetrators.

SPIEGEL: The German military officers’ kinship has even settled that it is rarely capricious either even a singular perpetrator will be brought to justice. Isn’t it an peculiar conditions when a conduct of a supervision is job for a full force of a law to be practical and, during a finish of a day, zero competence come of it?

Reker: It’s unsatisfactory. It shows a society’s helplessness when it comes to this issue. What is critical now is that we forestall events like this from function in a future.

SPIEGEL: perfume has been famous for years for a rapist stage involving pickpockets and drug dealers. The methods used by enemy opposite their victims are well-known, as are a places on a cathedral block where drugs are hidden. Why didn’t a city pierce prolonged ago to take worse action?

Reker: During a summer, we had an bureau located right opposite a travel from a cathedral, that authorised me to follow events there. The people are always carrying tiny amounts of drugs, that creates it formidable to detain them.

SPIEGEL: So a conditions is simply authorised to sojourn a same?

Reker: No. We need some-more military and we need to muster some-more video notice that enables officials to see what is function and to take clear action.

SPIEGEL: The newspapers are saying that a “sex mob” pounded women in Cologne. What’s your analysis?

Reker: Women were intimately tormented in a vast way. we always guess these were a kinds of dangers people faced in really apart countries. It’s not something we could have illusory in Germany. We can't accept it. It threatens a change in a country.

Hundreds of people can be seen here celebrating a New Year on a block located between Cologne’s executive hire and a city’s world-famous cathedral. Dozens of women reported they had been pounded or intimately harrassed during a site.

SPIEGEL: The equivalence apportion in a state of North Rhine-Westphalia (where perfume is located) has oral of a “tip of a really apocalyptic iceberg.” What does this iceberg demeanour like?

Reker: we haven’t seen it yet. we clearly live — during slightest when it comes to this — in a stable environment. These days it’s no longer even apparent what it is that we need to strengthen yourself against. That relates here in perfume as well. But until now, we had been of a faith that a epoch of modernized organisation deserted such evil practices.

SPIEGEL: Please forgive us. What is it that we meant by “advanced men”?

Reker: I’m not lustful of referring to cordial men. I’m referring to new generations of organisation who cruise equivalence to be self-evident.

SPIEGEL: What purpose does a ethnicity of a perpetrators play?

Reker: You can customarily presupposition in that regard. I’ve listened conjecture that ethanol played a vital role. It appears that a organisation come from a informative sourroundings in that ethanol can't be consumed really mostly in public. But that’s no reason for us to levy a anathema on celebration ethanol for North African men. That’s nonsense. It’s indispensable that we safeguard reserve in such squares and in a whole city during a Carnival festivities (in February) and via a whole year.

SPIEGEL: Does Germany have a interloper problem?

Reker: We are confronting a plea of integrating a people who are entrance here into a society. That also includes sketch them closer to a culture.

SPIEGEL: Leading German feminist Alice Schwarzer claims: “These immature organisation are a unhappy product of unsuccessful integration.”

Reker: What is she proposing? we mean, it doesn’t meant most for a chairman to have a North African or Arab appearance. How prolonged have these organisation been here? Have we already had a eventuality to confederate them or not? we have no idea. We don’t know a organisation of perpetrators. But we do need to start meditative about how we can strech a people who are entrance here some-more quickly. And also about how we can reconnoitre them with a informative traditions that we have.

SPIEGEL: Is a disappointment of immature organisation tangible to we when we revisit accommodations for refugees in Cologne?

Reker: Of course. we have always pronounced that we need to offer some-more of a sovereign government’s formation courses and faster so that a people can lead self-determined lives. And we can’t protest about people not vocalization Germany as prolonged as we aren’t relocating fast adequate to offer them lessons. The people who are entrance to us wish to change their lives — differently they wouldn’t come. We need to take wilful movement to assistance them.

SPIEGEL: There was also a apprehension warning in Munich on New Year’s Eve and a vast military deployment. This also meant increasing fears in perfume that overstrained military there. Is there a connection? Are we looking during dual sides of a same coin?

Reker: That’s formidable to say. For me, militant warnings have a opposite peculiarity given apprehension is some-more consciously destined during a ubiquitous public. But in a final analysis, a crimes that took place here in perfume were also an conflict on a magnanimous amicable order. The customarily doubt is either there were any domestic motivations behind them. There we have my doubts.

SPIEGEL: In what kind of multitude do we wish to live in a future?

Reker: We can't concede ourselves to be inept by fear and we can't subordinate a approach of life to this fear. But we also have to compensate attention. Among a subsequent stairs we need to take is to rise a reserve devise for Carnival celebrations in Cologne. Even nonetheless a eventuality includes many groups and participants, we as a city do cruise ourselves to be a organizer. In a run-up, we need to cruise what could occur and what we can do to residence it.

SPIEGEL: What does that meant in petrify terms? Will a military deployment be doubled or tripled?

Reker: You’ll have to ask a state interior apportion of North Rhine-Westphalia. we am customarily means to surprise myself and ask questions: What are a people endangered doing, and how are they meditative about addressing this? we competence also poke them a bit given that appears to be needed. Ultimately, however, we am not a chairman who can take shortcoming for policing duties.

SPIEGEL: We’ve review that we wish to improved explain a Mardi Gras tradition to people from other cultures. What are we planning?

Reker: There are already pictograms for refugees explaining open life in Germany about how to act in this society. We are deliberation requesting a same thing to Carnival.

SPIEGEL: It competence be some-more formidable to explain Carnival traditions than German multitude in general.

Reker: That’s true.

SPIEGEL: How, for example, are we ostensible to explain a disproportion to immigrants — from North Africa, for instance — between an trusting Carnival pat on a impertinence and passionate violence?

Reker: We are going to have to come adult with something fast now with a assistance of denunciation mediators from this area who can advise us. we don’t know if it will help, nonetheless we need to do all we can to keep things from removing out of control. And in Cologne, people get furious when they applaud Carnival.

SPIEGEL: Will that be a same this year?

Reker: Yes, it will be like it is each year. The customarily disproportion is that my dress won’t be as fantastic as it customarily is this year.

SPIEGEL: What did we dress adult as final year?

Reker: Some won’t find this to be politically correct, nonetheless we dressed adult as a Chinese lady final year. Usually, though, we am so good sheltered that it is tough to commend me. we always adore that. we will be tangible this year, nonetheless we don’t know what we am going to wear yet. we always go by costumes and confirm a week before.

SPIEGEL: You have suggested women to keep during slightest an arm’s stretch from organisation during vital events.

Reker: And we have been subjected to a ton of gibe and critique for it.

SPIEGEL: On amicable media, your recommendation has been illustrated with a Heil Hitler salute. The New York Times
even reported prominently about it.

Reker: During a one and a half hour press conference, we was asked what medicine recommendation includes. we afterwards gave this instance in one sentence. Perhaps it was a bit helpless, nonetheless it also shows how infirm a multitude is when it comes to traffic with such incidents. Ultimately, it depends on a military doing their work and gripping such occurrences from function in a initial place. Of course, that is wholly mislaid in this debate. It doesn’t matter what we do — many people seem to customarily be unqualified of holding things in a approach they are said.

SPIEGEL: So we are adhering with your recommendation?

Reker: I’m contemptible that some women have accepted this to meant that we am holding them obliged for a violence. But we don’t have to apologize for saying an instance that is strictly referred to by a City of Cologne. Besides, as we competence have noticed, nobody is charity any constructive suggestions. we haven’t review anyone essay anywhere that a arm’s length proposals is nonsense, instead this or that would be better. The sovereign probity apportion and a probity authorities all have substantial imagination in risk prevention. But all we are removing from them during a impulse are accusations and tiny in a approach of constructive proposals.

SPIEGEL: Have we landed in a midst of a vital gender debate?

Reker: we trust so. And it is one that is totally unfamiliar to me given that we come from an epoch in that women fought for their equality. we have always had a problem with immature women who have given adult a opportunities that we helped to quarrel for.

SPIEGEL: Ms. Reker, we were pounded dual months ago during a election. The perpetrator’s ground was xenophobic and he wanted to kill you. How is your health today?

Reker: Oh, I’m doing well. People always ask me what it’s like carrying a blade stranded by your throat. In your head, we comprehend we are being stabbed in public, and it is impossibly demeaning. It’s a feeling that competence be like rape. we don’t know. Thank God we haven’t gifted that. But we do get a feeling that we are no longer safe.

SPIEGEL: When we entered into bureau in December, we weren’t nonetheless means to wear a clothing collar ragged by a duke mayor. It was too heavy. Are we means to now?

Reker: No. My thoracic vertebra was split. It has given grown behind together and we wish that we will shortly be means to wear it rather than customarily reason it in my hand.

The site where afterwards mayoral claimant Henriette Reker was pounded and scarcely killed before to her choosing dual months ago.

SPIEGEL: Did a conflict change you?

Reker: we have not turn a opposite person. It competence have strengthened a few characteristics, including an even stronger feeling of independence. That competence be given it is easier for me to understanding with a gibe over a arm’s length debate. At a finish of a day, what’s critical is formulating a protected situation. This isn’t about me. I’m totally in a credentials on this. That’s how we feel about it and that’s given I’m not removing worked up.

SPIEGEL: What is it like for we when we go out into a crowd?

Reker: Entirely unproblematic. No one has ever been a plant of a second assassination try and, in that sense, it hasn’t done me shy and we can do it well.

SPIEGEL: Recently, while we were shopping, a sum foreigner hugged we and pronounced he was happy we are doing so well. That didn’t dismay you?

Reker: No, nonetheless we am always vacant by a volume of compassion, that is infrequently voiced physically. we know a intentions are all good, nonetheless we still consternation infrequently if there has ever been a womanlike mayor who has been kissed or squeezed as much.

SPIEGEL: It is pronounced that German politician Oskar Lafontaine (a former supervision minister) grew some-more aroused after an try on his life and that Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, who survived an assassination attempt, was hardened by it.

Reker: In any case, we have not turn some-more fearful. To a contrary, we have turn some-more decisive.

SPIEGEL: First, we yourself were a plant of a aroused act, and now many women have turn a victims of passionate attacks …

Reker: … yes, there are some weird parallels, ties that we am still not wholly transparent about.

SPIEGEL: The try on your life was also an conflict opposite all of society. There was a xenophobic credentials and it seemed to be destined opposite your interloper policies. Despite a attack, voter audience a subsequent day was really low.

Reker: Regardless of a attack, we need to be endangered about democracy. Voter appearance of 40 percent is not spectacular. we can't contend that residents of perfume voted for me. Nor do we contend that. Only a largest share of electorate chose me. we would have elite to come into bureau with larger support.

SPIEGEL: One would have guess that some-more people would have voted after a attack.

Reker: You competence have thought. On my initial day during work, a author Herta Müller pronounced she wished me a good liberation — and democracy too. we guess that was ideally fitting. At a same time, it relieves me of a guess that we achieved feat as a outcome of pity. The outcome customarily diverged from a opinion polls by 1 percent.

SPIEGEL: You didn’t knowledge a choosing itself given we were in an artificially prompted coma. Can we remember what it was like when we reawakened?

Reker: Yes. My father told me during some indicate we had won nonetheless it wasn’t a initial thing he said. It also wasn’t so critical to me during that moment. Some felt that we should have immediately reflected on it and thanked a electorate and supporters. But we initial had to get my physique operative again.

SPIEGEL: If we demeanour behind during a past year, Germany has been divided in a approach not seen in a prolonged time. You were forced to physically continue that division. What are your expectations for a New Year?

Reker: we cruise many people haven’t nonetheless truly purebred a globalization routine that we are experiencing. That has prolonged been clear to me during my possess events. But we have always pronounced that a refugees will come regardless of either we am heading a city or somebody else. We need to get divided from this German naval gazing. We need to find something that connects people. And we have to comprehend that a multitude is a graying one and that immigrants paint a vital opportunity.

SPIEGEL: Ms. Reker, we appreciate we for this interview.

Article source: http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/cologne-mayor-warns-sex-attacks-will-challenge-germany-a-1071156.html#ref=rss