The attack outside a school

About ten young people aged between 13 and 15 kicked and punched a 14-year-old pupil in front of a secondary school in Frankfurt (Oder) on 14 October. According to police, they also hit him in the head, and kept striking him while he was already lying on the ground. The group members hold German, Polish, Russian and Syrian nationality, police said. They filmed the assault and shared the video online, and the footage caused shock across the city.

Rally and political reactions

The AfD called a demonstration for the evening of 20 October and described the violence as "Migrantengewalt" in its announcement. A dpa photographer estimated that just over 500 people took part. The CDU in Frankfurt (Oder) accused the party of "politische Stimmungsmache", or political stirring of opinion. A counter-demonstration did not take place, although a single individual had registered one, a police spokesman said, and he could not give a reason. On Instagram on Monday, 19 October, the CDU wrote that there was no collective guilt and that many young people with migrant backgrounds were well integrated. It added that AfD demonstrations help no one.

City, police and state response

Frankfurt (Oder) mayor Axel Strasser, who has no party affiliation, announced on Instagram that the city would not simply move on from the incident.

“We will not simply move on to the agenda after this incident.”

He said police had reacted quickly, spoken with the parents of the suspects and carried out identification measures, and that the investigation now aims to establish the full facts and the legal consequences. After the autumn holidays, police and the public order office are to be more present near Frankfurt's schools and on school routes. The city is also examining how its own order and security staff could show a stronger presence around schools, with the aim of spotting risks earlier. The CDU called a security conference planned for 27 October in Frankfurt (Oder), along with talks with those affected, the right course.

Brandenburg's interior minister Jan Redmann (CDU) wrote on Instagram that youth groups were posing a question of power, asking who has the say on Potsdam's streets and Frankfurt's schoolyards.

“Here youth groups are posing the question of power.”

Redmann said he wanted the state to answer with the rule of law and not let "gruppendynamische Gewaltprozesse" run their course. The state government has said it will examine changes to residence status and whether deportations are possible. Redmann said the focus for now is "Repression", meaning enforcement, so that the violence stops.

Other incidents across Brandenburg

Potsdam has seen several attacks by youth groups, which caused alarm, and the city has set up a task force on youth violence. In Brandenburg an der Havel, a group of youths threw fireworks at two 12- and 13-year-olds in a park. Violent incidents also occurred in Cottbus. Redmann spoke of youth groups that were presumed to be shaped by migration. The AfD demands lowering the age of criminal responsibility to ten and deporting violent offenders.

Expert view on prevention

Kirstin Drenkhahn, a professor of criminal law and criminology at Freie Universität Berlin, told RBB Inforadio that youth violence cannot be solved by criminal law alone.

“We need youth welfare measures.”

She argued that deterrence does not work when young people do not understand the consequences, and that they often cannot act on knowing what is right. She therefore rejected lowering the age of criminal responsibility as a useful step. Strengthening families and preventive work matter more, she said. The obstacle, she noted, is that youth work is financed by municipalities, which often lack the money for it.

What comes next

The investigation into the Frankfurt (Oder) assault is ongoing, and the city has planned a security conference for 27 October. Police and the public order office are set to increase their presence near schools after the autumn holidays.