A transgender woman and a nonbinary person were assaulted in the early hours of Saturday in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighborhood by two men whose identities remain unknown. The capital’s police reported this on Saturday afternoon.
According to preliminary investigations and statements from witnesses, the two victims were walking together on the sidewalk around 4:30 a.m. at the intersection of Yorckstraße / Gneisenaustraße / Mehringdamm when they encountered the two men, who directed baseless insults toward the nonbinary person.
Because neither they nor their companion reacted to the insults, the two unidentified men attacked the 30-year-old nonbinary person with punches, causing her to fall to the ground. Her 31-year-old friend hurried to help and was also struck with punches, until she too fell. Even as the victims lay on the ground, the attackers continued to punch and kick. It was not until several bystanders intervened that the attackers fled in the direction of Großbeerenstraße.
Emergency responders transported the two attacked individuals to a hospital for outpatient treatment. They sustained head lacerations and scrapes. The ongoing investigations are being conducted by the Political State Protection unit at the State Criminal Police Office, as is customary in hate-crime cases. The police report did not provide further details about the attackers.
There are regular reports from Berlin of anti-LGBTQI+ assaults, as the state police actively publicize hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and as a result these incidents are comparatively frequently disclosed to the public. The police and the public prosecutor’s office in the capital have dedicated contacts for queer people.
