GdP Federal Congress: Dobrindt defends “chaotic” statement about riots

Berlin. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has rejected criticism of his statements about riots during the youth protests at the weekend. In a speech at the Federal Congress of the Police Union (GdP) in Berlin, the CSU politician said he could not describe the violence he saw on the streets in any other way on Saturday.

He said: "They are chaotic and you can then discuss how to describe them further. Are they chaotic from the left, are they chaotic from the right, are they Islamist chaotic, are they chaotic from a migrant background." When chaotic people attack police officers, it is important to be on the right side and protect the police force.

With regard to the riots, Dobrindt spoke of “violent left-wing groups and migrant chaotics”. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD), among others, objected. The Greens criticized that it was wrong to label people with a migrant background - almost a third of the population - as a problem.

The delegates confirmed the GdP federal chairman Jochen Kopelke in office for another four years with around 89 percent on Monday, the first day of the federal congress. The 42-year-old police chief from Bremen has been at the head of the union since 2022.

In an interview with Deutschlandfunk about the weekend's riots, which were particularly violent in Frankfurt am Main, Kopelke, when asked about the blanket defamation of entire social groups, admitted that it was hurtful for them. But at the same time he asked how people should be named. "Those are the ones in the pictures. How do you know in advance which Talahon, which young man, will not be able to control himself again?" Society has no way of dealing with or responding to this crime phenomenon.

The term “Talahon” comes from the Arabic phrase “Ta'ala hon” (Come here!). It was originally a self-designation, but according to anti-racism initiatives and social scientists, it is increasingly being used by right-wing actors to devalue young men with a migrant background.

The chairman of the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK), Hamburg's Interior Senator Andy Grote, said with regard to the AfD's strong performance in the state elections in Saxony-Anhalt, a "serious situation had arisen" there, which the IMK had recently dealt with intensively. The SPD politician said that no police officer should “follow an employer who leaves the ground of law and order”.

The oath binds every police officer to the constitution and not to political power. He hopes that the police officers in Saxony-Anhalt do not get involved in this conflict. However, if this were to be the case, they would need support, including from unions. The AfD politician Ulrich Siegmund would like to stand for election as Prime Minister in the Magdeburg Parliament in December. He is dependent on three votes from other ranks.