German media is censoring the identities of five German nationals who allegedly gang-raped an 18-year-old Spanish girl and recorded it on their phones in a horrific attack on the Spanish island of Majorca. Major European media outlets are refusing to mention the five suspects had a foreign background, describing them simply as “Germans.”
A few headlines mentioned nationalities without context, or were intentionally vague in their descriptions, such as calling them “five German vacationers.” Only Spanish media outlet Ultima Hora mentioned that all the men had Turkish origins.
“The issue of migrant men, or those with a migration background, being portrayed simply as “Germans” when it comes to crime has been a theme over recent years, but we should expect this trend to continue and only get worse,” reports Remix.
Germany naturalizes foreign nationals quickly compared to many other countries with a high migrant population. They are immediately recognized in law as “Germans” by nationality after obtaining citizenship.
Germany’s struggle to integrate those with migrant backgrounds has also been demonstrated by the Berlin city government’s decision to check identity cards at public swimming pools to counter the surging violence often perpetrated by men with a migration background.
