Monday, August 26
Berlin considers knife ban following Solingen attack
The deadly knife attack which killed three people at a festival in the city of Solingen on Friday has intensified debates over a ban on carrying knives in Berlin. Already before this latest terrible incident, Kai Wenger (CDU), the mayor of Berlin, had stated that he was open to the idea of implementing a general ban on carrying knives.
In an interview, he expressed his concern about the ability to enforce such a law: “I would be very much in favour of a general ban on carrying knives. The problem, however, is that this would have to be enforced across Berlin… that will be very difficult in a metropolis of millions.”
This weekend saw more knife crime in Berlin. Separate incidents in Neukölln and in Friedrichshain led to two victims being taken to hospital after being stabbed in violent disputes. Last year, there were 8,951 cases of knife crime across Germany, an increase of 5.6 percent on the previous year.
