A 54-year-old man dressed as Santa Claus in the German city of Kassel, Hessen, was violently attacked last week by a group of Muslim youths who told him that Germany was “their country.”
The man, called Rainer B. by German authorities, was approached by the gang on his way to perform in the city center on St. Nicholas Day on December 6. The group, whom he described as comprising six members between 14 and 16 years old and of a “migrant background,” called him a “son of a bitch” and a “fat man” before telling him to remove the costume.
He refused to do so. The group then said to him they were Muslim and that Germany belonged to them before hitting him and tearing at his costume while multiple bystanders looked on and even laughed and applauded the attackers. He sustained minor neck injuries as a result.
Rainer B., in self-defense, hit out at one of the boys, whereupon they fled the scene. He quickly notified the authorities of the incident and attended the Christmas event nevertheless.
“The state security agency has taken over the investigation on suspicion of bodily harm, insults, and damage to property,” announced a spokeswomen on behalf of the German police after the incident.
Following the attack, the man told the media “I’ll carry on” but plans to arm himself with pepper spray in the future.
