From August 22–24, 1992 a violent anti-Vietnamese and anti-Roma riot took place in Rostock-Lichtenhagen; it was the worst mob attack against foreigners in postwar Germany. Although there were stones and petrol bombs thrown at an apartment block that housed asylum seekers, no one was killed. At the height of the riots, several hundred militant right-wing extremists were involved, and about 3,000 neighbourhood onlookers stood by, supporting them.[1]
The initial response of authorities and politicians was heavily criticised.[2] Prior to the riots, there had been for days, in some newspapers, veiled warnings of an impending melee.[3] Police and politicians seemed reluctant to respond and when they did respond, the response was inadequate to meet the need.[2] Outside the building where the refugees were housed, several hundred asylum seekers had been camping for several days with little or no access to basic facilities, leading to escalating tensions in the neighbourhood.
Between August 22–26, 1992, there were 370 provisional arrests and 408 preliminary investigations relating to the riots. Among the arrested were 110 people from the former West Germany, 217 from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, including 147 from Rostock and another 37 from the former East Germany. During the riot, 204 police officers were injured.[4]
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The Zentrale Aufnahmestelle für Asylbewerber für Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (ZAst M-V), or "Central Refugee Shelter" for the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, was in an 11-story plattenbau apartment complex known as the "Sunflower House" or "Sunflower Tower" because of the large sunflowers decorating the side of one building. The building was notorious for the inhumane conditions under which the asylum seekers there were living and for whom there was little if any support. The authorities ignored the numerous complaints from citizens and residents over the filthy and deplorable conditions in the apartment building.
The shelter was originally meant to house 300 refugees a month, but by summer 1992, the shelter was averaging 11,500 refugees per month. Primarily Roma from Romania, they were left by overwhelmed shelter staff to camp out in front of the building, days at a time. The municipal government refused to provide portable toilets and there was no water or garbage collection. Clashes between the homeless foreigners and the Lichtenhagen residents increased. Neither the city nor the state government took action.[5]
For days, prior to the riots, the newspapers Norddeutsche Neueste Nachrichten and Ostsee-Zeitung had been calling for a "Lichtenhagen interest group". There were anonymous warnings that if by the weekend, the refugee shelter was not "cleaned up," there would be order made. This gave young gang members from every corner of Rostock, normally enemies, a date, place and purpose to congregate. One 19-year old skinhead said, "The police know the Rostock Skins and 'Hools' [hooligans]. When something like this is announced, we're there!"[3]
The riot started with young people from the neighbourhood throwing stones on the first day. This was contained by the police, but media coverage encouraged neo-nazis to roam the area. This led to a situation where a xenophobic mob outnumbered the police by day three. The original asylum target was evacuated on the second day and the mob stormed a neighbouring building where 115 Vietnamese immigrants, a social worker and a ZDF television crew had mistakenly been left behind. While the building burned, they barricaded their doors against rioters armed with baseball bats and Molotov cocktails, who were climbing over the balconies. Below, a mob of over 5,000 spectators eagerly watched and applauded.[5]
Charges of police and political incompetence were leveled from the beginning. One explanation cited for lack of effective action by the police is that they were reluctant to take action that might be reminiscent of the recently cast off communist state.[2] Also, there were charges that the police and the politicians were privately sympathetic with the anti-foreign sentiment.[2]
The first major conviction related to the riots was on March 4, 1993, though 24 convictions on lesser charges had already been obtained. A 22-year old man was convicted of throwing a firebomb at police, of seriously disturbing the peace, violating weapons laws and attempt to injure. An attempted murder charge was dropped for lack of evidence. Critics complained that no one was being convicted of assaulting a foreigner, only of assaulting the police or of disorderliness.[6] It took almost ten years to prosecute 408 people.
The following timeline was reconstructed by the "Legislative Committee to Investigate the Refugee Shelter Incident" ("Parlamentarischer Untersuchungsausschuss zu den Ereignissen um die ZAst")
August 22, Day 1
From about 6:00 p.m. a large crowd begins to assemble in front of the refugee shelter. At 8:02 p.m., thugs start attacking the shelter and the violence escalates quickly. By 10:46, the police are forced to retreat from the area. 11:02 p.m. Riot police arrive on the scene and are attacked with Molotov cocktails. 11:24 p.m. Another police unit arrives from Schwerin. 1:34 a.m. Water cannons are in set up and put in continuous use. Between 1:34 and 2:34 a.m., the rioters are pushed towards the autobahn. 2:25 a.m. A water cannon vehicle is set on fire by a Molotov cocktail. 2:30 a.m. Rostock police command calls a police alarm and the armory is opened. Officers are issued with tear gas and fire at the crowd. The situation calms down until 5:30 a.m.
Day 1 Statistics: 160 police officers, 300 rioters, 13 police officers injured, 9 arrests.
August 23, Day 2, Part 1
100 people are gathered in front of the shelter.
11:15 a.m. Rostock police department requests back-up from other police departments. Squads respond from Schwerin, Anklam, Stralsund and Güstrow. The Landespolizei Mecklenburg-Vorpommern sends two additional water cannons. Two reserve units (Einsatzhundertschaften) from the Federal Border Patrol (Bundesgrenzschutz or BGS) are activated. 2:15 p.m. Plainclothes officers report the arrival of 30 known Neo-Nazis to the area.
August 23, Day 2, Part 2
At 6:45 p.m. about 400 rioters start attacking the shelter. 7:18 p.m. the rioters start throwing Molotov cocktails. 8:00 p.m. The police use water cannons to clear the area. 8:30 p.m. The police resort to firing live ammunition. 10:00 p.m. The police officer in charge reports that without reinforcements, within 30 minutes, the situation will be impossible to control. 10:30 p.m. A police car is set on fire. 10:41 p.m. State police declare a state of emergency (Landespolizeialarm).
The state level state of emergency allows for additional, federal brigades to be pulled in.[7] Hamburg send out its SWAT (SEK and MBK) units. These riot police units (normally about 100 officers each), are reinforced by two police dog squads from Kiel, a reserve unit from Lübeck and helicopters from the federal police.
2:55 a.m. The 2nd Hamburg Unit arrives on the scene. 3:45 a.m. The 1st Hamburg Unit arrives. 4:10 a.m. The situation quiets down. The Hamburg units take over the night watch.
Day 2 Statistics: 850 police officers, 500 rioters, 70 police officers injured, 130 arrests.
August 24, Day 3, Part 1
2:00 p.m. Under the protection of the Hamburg units (now 16 hours in action) the shelter is evacuated. The large crowd of onlookers give notice of a melee at 4:00 p.m. The police learn of a telephone net-work that hooligans are using to organize the melee, which is to attack the police exclusively if the shelter is cleared out.
August 24, Day 3, Part 2
7:45 p.m. Reinforcements from the 4th Brigade, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern arrive to replace the Hamburg riot units, now in action for 21 hours. 7:55 p.m. Ten minutes after the replacements arrive, the order is given to withdraw all protection for the shelter.[8]
8:00 p.m. During the retreat from the building, the Federal Border Patrol units reinforcing the 2nd Hamburg Unit come under attack. At this point, the crowd of cheering onlookers has grown to an estimated 3,000. 8:05 p.m. Squads from the 2nd Hamburg Unit, which had already left the scene, are ordered back to reinforce the Border Patrol unit under attack. In order to push through the crowd, they resort to using batons. The commanding officer of the 1st Hamburg Unit reports that the threat of violence is higher than he's seen in 5 years' experience in Hamburg's Hafenstraße and Flora.[7]
8:15 p.m. The 1st Hamburg Unit and the 4th Brigade MV reach the other units. Water cannons are used and police cordons are formed. Rail transport police are radioed for back-up. The alarm is "Officers in Distress". The 1st Hamburg Unit also provides support.
8:40 p.m. A technical problem knocks out one water cannon. 9:20 p.m. The retreating 1st Hamburg Unit seeks cover from the water cannon of the 4th Brigade, MV. 9:34 p.m. The water supply of the second cannon runs out. The 4th Brigade MV, about 100 strong, is up against 800 rioters. 10:37 p.m. The 4th Brigade MV forms a police cordon and aims the water canons on the crowd to allow the fire department to get through. 10:55 p.m. The 1st Hamburg Unit is sent back to Hamburg after 25 hours of duty. Midnight. The 4th Brigade MV begins clearing out the remaining hooligans, about 300 strong, while the 2nd Hamburg Unit is sent back to Hamburg after 26 hours of duty. 12:30 a.m. The area settles down.
2:00 a.m. 400 hooligans again begin to storm the refugee shelter, using every means possible. The police have a strong presence. Up to 7 water cannons are used to clear the streets surrounding the apartment complex where the shelter is located. About 1,000-1,200 rioters take part in the melee with the police. By 3:00, the situation is under control.
Day 3 Statistics: 2050 police officers, 2000 rioters, 117 police officers injured, 58 arrests.