German prosecutor: The ethnic origin of the attackers has “no bearing” on the violent nature of the crime.

A group of four Afghan and Iranian refugees were charged with assaulting 21 people in the Bavarian town of Amberg last December.

These refugees received light sentences after a German prosecutor concluded that they assaulted passersby out of “boredom” and “alcohol consumption.”

“Police officers, called as witnesses, described a dramatic and large operation that took place on the night in question,” German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported. “During which they saw bleeding people who had become victims (of the assault).

As part of a plea bargain, three of the defendants can walk after getting suspended sentences, while the ring leader of the gang received a two-year prison term. The convicted migrants will continue to enjoy asylum status in Germany.

The ethnic origin of the attackers has “no bearing” on the violent nature of the crime, declared the chief prosecutor handling the case.

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung reported the prosecutor’s findings:

Chief prosecutor Joachim Diesch said at the conclusion of the investigation that the probable cause for the assault was a combination of boredom, alcohol consumption and peer pressure. The incident must not be see in light of the origin of the four accused. The psychiatric expert also talked about the loss of inhibition due to alcohol and peer dynamics. [Translation by the author]

German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported the details of the case, but removed the reference to “boredom, alcohol consumption” as the justification for the crimes in the later version:

Four asylum-seekers accused of attacking several town residents and a policeman in the Bavarian city of Amberg entered a plea deal on Tuesday, with three defendants agreeing to suspended sentences and the fourth set to go to prison. All four defendants from Afghanistan and Iran also apologized for the assaults. The group, ranging in ages from 17 to 21, confessed to harassing and assaulting passers-by while under the influence of alcohol and drugs on the evening December 29, 2018. During the incident, they attacked 21 people on the street. Some 15 of them were hurt, suffering mostly minor injuries. As part of the plea deal, the court in Amberg agreed to hand down suspended sentences of between six and 18 months for three of the four accused and a prison sentence of at least two years for the man suspected of leading the group. The case gained prominence after Interior Minister Horst Seehofer used it as evidence that stricter deportation laws were needed to deal with immigrants who commit crimes. Ahead of the trial, investigators interviewed 100 witnesses and examined video footage from the scene.

“‘Men’ [referring to the description of the asylum seekers in the news reports] can indiscriminately beat up people in this country, as in the case of Amberg, and get suspended sentences.” Alice Weidel, head of the right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party said. “The correct response to the attackers from Afghanistan and Iran should have been a detention pending deportation — and out.”

The sentencing caused the German media to worry about a “right-wing backlash.” “Tensions are rising after four asylum-seekers were charged with assault in the Bavarian city of Amberg,” Deutsche Welle claimed Tuesday.

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