https://www.bild.de/regional/koeln/...oser-bedrohen-homosexuelle-77158728.bild.html
Cologne – you just want to celebrate peacefully, to be yourself. But gays and lesbians are being attacked more and more frequently on Cologne’s colorful party mile. The scene no longer feels safe.
Two weeks ago, a car crashed into celebrating homosexuals on Schaafenstrasse, injuring a party guest (34). The culprit? Not caught. Construction site beacons and flutter tape have been protecting the site ever since.
This is not enough for hosts such as Dieter Hennes (54, owns three trendy bars). “We already employ eight security guards and urgently need more police.” Because: “We are being robbed of our shelter!”
Since straight people have had to vacate other party hotspots due to Corona, they have been switching to Schaafenstrasse. The result: “Disrespect begins with peeing in the street, culminating in bottle-throwing and homophobic insults. The situation escalates.”
Another trendy restaurateur sent a call for help to the city’s authorities: “The chav cars from the Ring street have been driving at 60-70 km/h at night towards the people in the street for weeks.We are on the losing side and are threatened and insulted.” A lack of protection will “lead to death or serious injuries.” “And that’s not an exaggeration!”
BILD met with city center mayor Andreas Hupke (71, Green) on the party mile. He finds the handling of the car attack in his city district up to now scandalous! “We need the full package from the state. If a homosexual is run over, the police have to stand here in the evening. There is an urgent need for civil servants. The city does not have to tolerate that.”
The Green also knows who the originators of the aggressiveness are. Because Schaafenstraße is located directly on the Kölner Ringen, the hotspot for shisha bars and event venues.
City Mayor Hupke: “This is where car posers become a threat with their upper arms inflated by anabolic steroids. Of course, boys are shaped when they grow up in a culture where gays are insulted. These types of offenders attack homosexuals.”
Cologne – you just want to celebrate peacefully, to be yourself. But gays and lesbians are being attacked more and more frequently on Cologne’s colorful party mile. The scene no longer feels safe.
Two weeks ago, a car crashed into celebrating homosexuals on Schaafenstrasse, injuring a party guest (34). The culprit? Not caught. Construction site beacons and flutter tape have been protecting the site ever since.
This is not enough for hosts such as Dieter Hennes (54, owns three trendy bars). “We already employ eight security guards and urgently need more police.” Because: “We are being robbed of our shelter!”
Since straight people have had to vacate other party hotspots due to Corona, they have been switching to Schaafenstrasse. The result: “Disrespect begins with peeing in the street, culminating in bottle-throwing and homophobic insults. The situation escalates.”
Another trendy restaurateur sent a call for help to the city’s authorities: “The chav cars from the Ring street have been driving at 60-70 km/h at night towards the people in the street for weeks.We are on the losing side and are threatened and insulted.” A lack of protection will “lead to death or serious injuries.” “And that’s not an exaggeration!”
BILD met with city center mayor Andreas Hupke (71, Green) on the party mile. He finds the handling of the car attack in his city district up to now scandalous! “We need the full package from the state. If a homosexual is run over, the police have to stand here in the evening. There is an urgent need for civil servants. The city does not have to tolerate that.”
The Green also knows who the originators of the aggressiveness are. Because Schaafenstraße is located directly on the Kölner Ringen, the hotspot for shisha bars and event venues.
City Mayor Hupke: “This is where car posers become a threat with their upper arms inflated by anabolic steroids. Of course, boys are shaped when they grow up in a culture where gays are insulted. These types of offenders attack homosexuals.”
