Criticism of ’safe zone’ for women at Berlin New Year’s Eve event

A German police union boss has criticised organisers of Berlin’s annual open-air New Year’s Eve party for designating a special "safety area" for women, saying it suggests they are not safe from assault elsewhere.

A German police union boss has criticised organisers of Berlin’s annual open-air New Year’s Eve party for designating a special "safety area" for women, saying it suggests they are not safe from assault elsewhere.

The comments by Rainer Wendt, who heads the right-leaning DpolG union, come amid an ongoing debate in Germany about how to tackle an increase in sexual assaults.