Thursday, 9 January
Leaked list of New Year’s Eve suspects published by right-wing website
The controversy began when the right-wing website Nius published a list of first names of suspects involved in New Year’s Eve-related offences. The website claimed to have received the list from sources within Berlin’s law enforcement. In response, police spokesperson Florian Nath strongly condemned the leak, calling it “unacceptable and unlawful.”
Nath added that sharing personal data without legal authorisation violates strict data protection regulations and risks fueling discriminatory narratives. Berlin’s Criminal Police Office, specifically the department handling police and corruption-related crimes, is now investigating the matter.
The leaked list appeared alongside official police statistics, which recorded 670 suspects involved in New Year’s Eve offences. According to the Berlin Police, 264 of these individuals were foreign nationals, while 406 held German citizenship. However, Nius argued that the list of names suggests many German suspects have migration backgrounds due to their “non-traditional” German first names.
Berlin Police officials have emphasised the importance of protecting personal data to maintain public trust and avoid stoking prejudice. “This kind of breach undermines the integrity of law enforcement and promotes harmful stereotypes,” Nath said. The police are still working to identify the source of the leak.
