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Teen severely beaten as cyber-bullying escalates

A Berlin city politician on Wednesday called for a crisis meeting on cyber-bullying after an online conflict escalated into the brutal group beating of a 17-year-old who was apparently trying to mediate the row.

Teen severely beaten as cyber-bullying escalates
Photo: DPA

The young man suffered serious head trauma on Saturday after some 20 other teens beat him senseless following an attempt to end the bullying of his 18-year-old girlfriend by other girls on the forum Isharegossip.com, daily Der Tagesspiegel reported.

In response to the assault, Berlin’s minister for education, Jürgen Zöllner, scheduled a meeting of police officials, school psychologists and administrators, and school boards for next week to discuss what Germans call online “mobbing,” the paper said.

Before the violent incident, the 17-year-old victim had failed to solve the conflict between his girlfriend and classmates from her former school. The girls had spent several days posting online threats that included physical violence, the paper said.

After the meeting the girls called on their boyfriends, who later accosted the teen victim in a parking lot near the Wedding district Osloer Strasse metro station as he made his way home, according to police. There they accused him of threatening their girlfriends and physically assaulted him with punches and kicks until long after he had collapsed on the ground, the paper said.

Police arrested six girls and boys between the ages 14 and 18 on Monday, and the investigation continues, they said.

The principal of the Carl-Bosch School, where the victim’s girlfriend attended class until recently, said that before the violent incident he had already been in contact with police over Isharegossip.com – only to discover that there was not much he could do to prevent online bullying.

The school tells its students not to take such things too seriously, he said.

But Berlin Senator Zöllner said that children need more help.

“Young people need our support in showing them media competence and how to responsibly use computers, internet and mobile phones,” he told the paper.

Those who breach moral and legal limits under what they assume is online anonymity should know that they are operating with “false security,” he said.

The Local/ka

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BERLIN

Disruption on roads in Berlin as farmers stage fresh protest

Farmers in Germany launched fresh protests in Berlin on Friday to call for the government to support agriculture, resulting in disruption across the city.

Disruption on roads in Berlin as farmers stage fresh protest

Berlin police said there were “considerable traffic disruptions” across the city and the outskirts and especially around Straße des 17. Juni, the government district and the Bundesrat .

Since Thursday morning, Straße des 17. Juni and other streets around the government district in Berlin-Tiergarten have been closed. There will also be closures on Leipziger Straße between Wilhelmstraße and Leipziger Platz through Friday.

A planned rally is due to take place from 12 noon to 5pm on Friday with tractors and lorries around Platz des 18. März, near Brandenburg Gate. 

The action is being held to protest the government’s agricultural policies.

It comes as relief measures – including reduced bureaucracy and tax relief for farmers – went to the Bundesrat on Friday to be voted on as part of the Growth Opportunities Act.

However, farmers are still pushing for their original demand of fully keeping the agricultural diesel subsidy.

READ ALSO: Analysis: Why are German farmers so angry?

Farmers in Germany have been staging similar protests against the policies of the government since the start of the year.

Where are protests taking place?

Here’s a look at the routes farmers are expected to take in Friday into Berlin where disruption will occur:

Frohnau: From the state border via B96 Berliner Straße, Roedernallee, Lindauer Allee, Residenzstraße, Markstraße, Schulstraße, Luxemburger Straße, Föhrer Straße, An der Putlitzbrücke, Stromstraße, Lessingstraße, Altonaer Straße and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni

Lichtenrade: From the state border via the B96 Kirchhainer Damm to Tempelhofer Damm and then via Mehringdamm, Hallesches Ufer, Reichpietschufer, Klingelhöferstraße, Hofjägerallee and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni

Mahlsdorf: From the state border via the B1/5 to Alexanderstraße and then via Karl-Liebknecht-Straße, Unter den Linden, Wilhelmstraße, Dorotheenstraße, Scheidemannstraße, John-Foster-Dulles-Allee, Spreeweg and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni

Staaken: From the state border via B5 Heerstraße to Theodor-Heuss-Platz, Kaiserdamm, Ernst-Reuter-Platz, Straße des 17. Juni and Großer Stern to Straße des 17. Juni.

As we’ve already. mentioned, there will also be road closures on Leipziger Straße between Wilhelmstraße and Leipziger Platz.

Farmers at the Straße des 17. Juni early morning on Friday in Berlin in a demo for better agricultural policy.

Farmers at the Straße des 17. Juni early morning on Friday in Berlin in a demo for better agricultural policy. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Jörg Carstensen

A large police presence was in place around the federal ministries and parliamentary buildings.

“We are taking preparatory measures before the farmers’ rally so that parliamentary work can take place smoothly on Friday,” said a spokesperson for the Berlin police on Thursday. 

During previous demonstrations, tactics – such as throwing manure and blockade attempts – have been controversial. 

On one occasion in January more than a hundred farmers blocked a ferry port as Economics Minister Robert Habeck tried to return from a holiday with his wife on the North Friesian island of Hooge.

According to media reports, some of the protestors tried to storm the ferry that the Habeck and his wife were on, preventing the Green Party politician from disembarking and forcing police to intervene. 

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