Germany’s 16 state interior ministers on Friday defended the country’s police forces, saying there are no parallels between U.S. police brutality against blacks and the situation in Germany.
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The protest movement decrying police violence against people of colour in the U.S has put a spotlight on the behaviour of German police, with several high-profile cases, including the death of an asylum seeker from Sierra Leone in police custody in 2005, coming under scrutiny.
Thousands took to the streets of German cities earlier this month to protest the death of George Floyd, whose death while in police custody in Minneapolis last month sparked the protests.
This was also to draw attention to excessive violence and racism by police in Germany.
“We condemn the despicable and unacceptable cases of police violence in the United States,’’ the ministers said in a joint statement.
“In this context, however, we are just as clearly opposed to any attempt to equate the U.S. police with the German police.
“We stand behind the work of our police,’’ federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer added.