During the night from Sunday to Monday, Berlin police say a young person was apparently targeted because of their transgender identity at Mehringplatz in the Kreuzberg district, when two unknown men threatened them with a firearm. According to initial findings, the 18-year-old was sitting on a bench at Mehringplatz around 1:30 a.m. when two unknown men approached. The two reportedly asked them, among other things, about their gender identity.
After the person questioned stated that they were trans, one of the men threatened them with a firearm. The person fled and alerted the police. The suspects could not be located in the area of the crime scene.
The further investigations have been taken over by the Police State Protection unit of the State Criminal Police Office. This is common in cases of crimes believed to be motivated by a queerphobic attitude.
There are repeated reports from Berlin of anti-LGBTQ+ assaults, as the state police actively publicize potential hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and as a result these incidents are reported to the public with relative frequency. The city’s police and the prosecutor’s office have dedicated contacts for LGBTQ+ people.
