In Berlin, on Friday, two people were subjected to insults and threats rooted in anti-LGBTQ+ bias — at a fitness club in the Wedding district and at an S-Bahn station in Prenzlauer Berg, police said on Saturday. In both cases, the State Protection unit of the Berlin State Criminal Police Office has taken over the investigations.
In the first case, around 11:15 a.m., a 30-year-old person who appeared to belong to the LGBTQ+ community and an unknown individual began arguing in the wet areas of a gym on Gerichtstraße. The man allegedly directed homophobic insults at the person and issued threats. He took a threatening posture and raised his hand. The 30-year-old fled to a staff room, where they suffered a panic attack and were tended to by an employee. The perpetrator left the gym before the responding officers arrived.
Shortly after 9 p.m., police were dispatched to the Landsberger Allee S-Bahn station. A 21-year-old man on the sidewalk along Landsberger Allee was subjected to LGBTQ+-phobic insults by unknown assailants. One of the attackers reportedly approached the young man, displayed a folded knife, and made kicking motions toward him. When officers arrived, the attackers were no longer at the scene.
Investigations are underway in the Wedding case on suspicion of threats and insults, and in the Prenzlauer Berg case on suspicion of threats with a weapon — each with an anti-LGBTQ+ motive, according to police.
Berlin continues to see reports of LGBTQ+-targeted assaults, in part because the city’s police publicly highlight hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity, which leads to these incidents being reported to the public more frequently. The police and prosecutors in the capital have dedicated contacts for LGBTQ+ people. (pm)
