After the fatal attack on a 25-year-old at a Christopher Street Day meeting in Münster, the suspect has to be remanded in custody. The magistrate imposed a detention on Saturday against the 20-year-old on suspicion of bodily harm resulting in death, the police and prosecutors said.
The suspect fled after the crime a week ago and was arrested on Friday. He has not yet commented on the allegations, it said.
After the attack last Saturday, the trans man Malte C. died in the hospital. The 25-year-old had previously been in an artificial coma for several days.
Last Saturday, C. celebrated Christopher Street Day in Münster with thousands of other people when he rushed to help several spectators of the parade. As witnesses of the situation reported to the “queer.de” portal, an unknown man is said to have homophobically insulted the women’s group with the words “lesbian whores”. When the 25-year-old confronts the troublemaker and stands protectively in front of the women, the stranger is said to have suddenly hit him in the face.
Before C. lost his balance, he was said to have been hit by another fist, as reported by “queer.de”. C. then hit his head on the asphalt.
On Friday morning, the responsible police finally announced in a press release that the 25-year-old had succumbed to his serious injuries in hospital. The body was scheduled for an autopsy on Monday.
The alleged perpetrator had fled, but was recognized and arrested by a homicide detective on Friday at the main station in Münster. The nationality of the man is known to the investigators, but is not mentioned, said senior public prosecutor Dirk Ollech of the German Press Agency. There is no connection between nationality and the alleged crime.
An unknown companion of the 20-year-old, who is said to have fled with him after the crime and may have been involved in the insults, is also being investigated. So far there have been no new findings, Ollech reported.
The city’s queer clubs have been horrified since the brutal attack. According to the lesbian and gay association, anti-queer attitudes are reinforced by social media. For many years there have been such misanthropic attitudes in society, which are fueled by the “echo chambers” on the Internet, criticized René Mertens from the LSVD on Saturday on WDR 5 in the “Morgenecho”.
In his opinion, social media contribute to the fact that “homophobic sayings and anti-queer ideologies” turn into hatred and violence. Mertens said about the Münster case: “It was really an anti-queer act of violence.”
There was also hostility at CSD events in Berlin, Jena or Bielefeld – people were attacked, rainbow flags were torn. He appealed: “We need the solidarity of society as a whole.”
There has been a lot of progress in the legal and political field in recent years. But there is still a lot to be done in terms of social attitudes and education.
According to the WDR report, the authorities become aware of about three anti-queer acts of violence every day nationwide. There is also a high number of unreported cases – many things are not displayed.
The police chief of Münster, Alexandra Dorndorf, said: “I am glad that the arrest of the suspect after the brutal attack on the fringes of the CSD was successful on Friday.” Münster stands for cosmopolitanism, diversity and civil courage. “The horrific incident shows how important it is that we protect these values and stand together as a society.”
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) also expressed dismay at the incident. She tweeted: “A young man is beaten to death for wanting to help others. on one
