Thousands rally in Germany after police kill Black man outside nightclub

Thousands of people are protesting across Germany after police killed a Black man outside a nightclub.

The nationwide rallies are in response to an incident that took place on Sunday April 20, when a 27-year-old police officer fatally shot and killed a 21-year-old man outside a club in Oldenburg.

It took place after an alleged altercation outside a nightclub in the northwest German city, and the victim has been identified as Lorenz A..

Police claimed that Lorenz was denied entry to the venue and threatened bouncers working at the club with a knife and pepper spray. When police arrived, one officer opened fire after an alleged altercation – striking the victim multiple times. An autopsy shared that Lorenz was hit in the head, torso and hip, and died in hospital that same day.

The officer who opened fire did not have his body cameras switched on during the incident, police have said.

On April 21, prosecutors said that the preliminary evidence (CCTV footage and witness reports) failed to suggest that Lorenz had threatened anyone with a knife, and activists have taken to the streets to rally against the fatal shooting.

According to Mixmag, last Friday (April 25) saw roughly 10,000 people come together in a ‘Justice For Lorenz’ rally in Oldenberg, and other demonstrations were held in Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin and Stuttgart in the victim’s name.

Concerns have been sparked that the killing was rooted in systemic racism within Germany’s law enforcement, and many in the country have requested that an independent inquiry into alleged police racism be held.

The push for an independent investigation comes amid claims that inquiries held by police are inherently biased – accusations shared by both the Black People in Germany Initiative (ISD) and Amnesty International.

State chair of the DgP police union, Kevin Komolka, also shared a statement about the incident on NDR, and said that there is “a mood developing painting police as trigger-happy hooligans.”

This is a developing story.

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