Public Opinion and Violence Against Foreigners in the Reunified Germany

Abstract

A b s tr a c t: The reunified Germany has faced an increasing incidence of violence against foreigners. The study pre sented here focuses on the interrelationship between public opinion (measured in opinion polls) and the number of violent attacks (counted by the German Federal Police). The empirical analysis detects a positive correlation between the two factors. This correlation was to be expected in theoretical terms. Violent events, widely covered by the media, are important for both data sets. Xenophobic riots like Hoyerswerda and Rostock support critical com ments and an increase in violence, whereas the murders of Mölln support a decrease in both. Specific forms and quantities of violence seem to enable people to communicate a critical opinion towards foreigners and thereby stimulate renewed violence. However, "too much" violence builds up a new latency of communication, which de creases violence once more.

Explaining Immigrants' Worries About Ethnic Harassment: Germany, 1986–2004

“…Existing research also holds that anti-immigrant prejudice signals the social norms leading to manifest violence against immigrants (Dustmann and Preston, 2007 ). Ohlemacher ( 1994 ), for example, finds that a heightened negative public opinion climate precedes manifest violence targeted against migrants and refugees living Germany.…”

“…A similar conclusion follows with regard to the violent outbursts against immigrants and refugees noted above. These particularly severe forms of ethnic harassment reached a peak in the early 1990s (Ohlemacher, 1994 ), but they still occur on a regular basis [BMI (Bundesministerium des Inneren), 2014 ]. Given these fluctuations in interethnic conflict over time, Germany is an ideal case to examine if and to what extent anti-immigrant prejudice and news reports on ethnic harassment affect immigrants' harassment-related worries.…”

“…For example, our measure for 1999 is based on the proportion of individuals mentioning immigrant-related keywords when answering the most-important-problem questions in January through March of 1999 as the survey was administered in March. In utilizing this measure, we follow several existing studies that demonstrate that responses to the most-important-problem question represent a valid indicator of negative attitudes toward immigrants (Ohlemacher, 1994 ; Lubbers and Scheepers, 2001 ; Boomgaarden and Vliegenthart, 2009 ) 4 .…”

From Vergangenheitsbewältigung to Violence: Unravelling the Paradoxes of the German Extreme-Right

“…70 neo-Nazis were able to set fire to a building containing over 100 Vietnamese, miraculously killing no-one, after police withdrew for two hours. Hoyerswerda's riot saw similar failures, with police levels remaining insufficient until the riot's third day, leaving foreign workers' houses unprotected (Ohlemacher, 1994). However, in contrast to slow reactions to developing antiforeigner violence in Rostock and Hoyerswerda, Riesa's police targeted neo-Nazis from 1990, averting far-right vigilantism and preventing seven right-wing youth riots in 1991 (Karapin, 2002).…”

Violence committed by „strangers“ — Violence against „strangers“. Media coverage on violence committed by Kurds and Kurdistan Workers Party (PPK) and xenophobic attacks

“…Funk/Weiß 1995;Jahraus 1997;Jäger 1997;Ohlemacher 1994Ohlemacher , 1996Ohlemacher , 1997Wengeler 2000) kreist um die Ereignisse in Hoyerswerda, Rostock, Mölln und Solingen sowie die Zuwanderungs-und Asyldebatte der frühen 1990-er Jahre. Einige Studien bleiben auf rein theoretischer Ebene (z.B.…”