The German police killed the black man Lorenza. Outside Oldenburg, a nightclub begins protests

Berlin Civil rights activists are calling for an independent investigation after the shooting of a black man by the police last week outside a nightclub in northwestern Germany. The killing sparked protests worldwide and raised concerns about what some believe is the regular racism within law enforcement agencies in Germany.

The victim was shot, which was determined as Lorenza. 21 years old, several times from behind by a 27 -year -old police officer in Oldenburg. According to the prosecutors, the autopsy found that Lorenz A. According to what was reported, a fourth bullet was sponsored by his thigh. He died in a local hospital from gunshot wounds.

The authorities said that Lorenz A. Laila guards threatened to spray pepper and a knife after being deprived of entering. When the police faced, they said he used the pepper spray again in a “threat” way.

However, by Monday, prosecutors said that the initial evidence, including the security camera video and witness reports, did not provide any indication that Lorenz A. The officers threatened a knife while he was shot.

Police said that the cameras of the officers involved were stopped. There is no legal commitment to the police in Germany to transfer body cameras during operations; It is at their discretion.

The shooting caused anger throughout Germany, with more than 10,000 protesters gathered in the “Justice for Lorenz” rally in Oldenburg on Friday. The celebration forces were also planned in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt, Cottgart, and in Vienna in neighboring Austria.

Rights groups, including Amnesty International and the Black People in Germany (ISD), demanded an independent investigation, on the pretext that the internal investigations of the police are biased in nature.

“This killing does not only affect the Lorenz family, but all people affected by racism in Germany,” Amnesty International He said In a statement.

Campaign groups also press police officers to operate their body cameras during operations that involve weapons.

The accident reflects the cases of police violence in the United States, where 2020 George Floyd was killed By an officer in Minnesota, an increase in protests has sparked against what many see the regular racism in law enforcement and police brutality.

Just as the American activists were I pushed independent supervision and systematic reformGerman groups now call for the creation of a national office to investigate the allegations of police bad behavior.

The case also led to comparisons on the death of Uri Galou, asylum seeking from Sierra Leone, who died under suspicious conditions in a German police cell in 2005, after it caught fire while she was hand. This case remained a symbol of alleged institutional racism and impunity within the German police forces for two decades.

Although Germany’s shooting rates have decreased in the shooting of officers (which were about 10 a year), the number increased sharply, with 22 deaths Record last year Lonely.

2024 I found the study Nearly a third of German police officers reported racist comments from colleagues, with a highlight of what many consider a broader cultural problem.