The German government condemns the riots in Stuttgart, Germany, in which almost 20 policemen were injured, and the country’s authorities support the work of law enforcement agencies, said Cabinet spokesman Steffen Seibert.
The riots in Stuttgart erupted on the night of Sunday after, as reported by the media, a police inspection in connection with a drug trafficking crime. Police intended to check on a 17-year-old young man, as a result of which 200-300 people “joined forces” with him, stones and bottles were thrown at police officers. Almost 20 policemen were injured, 24 people were detained, half of them were of German nationality and the rest were foreigners. The police assumed that the riots had no political or religious motivation.
“The scenes that took place on Sunday night in the centre of Stuttgart are disgusting and should be strongly condemned. Those who took part in such violence, who brutally attacked police officers, smashed shops and looted can do nothing to justify it. Whoever did this spoke out against the state, against the citizens it lives with and against the laws that protect us all”, – Seibert said in a briefing Monday.
He thanked the police, who had to be involved “in this very difficult operation,” as well as the medical services, and wished the victims well. “You all in the police should know that the German government and millions of people support you and are grateful that you contribute every day to the fact that we can live peacefully in this country according to our laws,” he added.