Brutal attack in Westpark: Homeless man knocked unconscious!

Brutal attack in Westpark: Homeless man knocked unconscious!

A frightening incident caused a stir in Munich's Westpark last Saturday. A 45-year-old homeless man was brutally attacked by four men. As muenchen.t-online.de reports, the attack initially began with a conversation that quickly turned into an argument. The men beat the victim so violently that he eventually became unconscious.

The result of the attack was fatal: the homeless man suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and a rib fracture. After the attack he had to be taken to a hospital. When he came to, his attackers had already fled and his backpack was also missing. According to the police, it is currently not assumed that the crime was a robbery because the backpack probably did not have any particularly valuable contents. Investigations into grievous bodily harm are ongoing.

A sad trend

What happened in Westpark is not an isolated case. Violence against homeless people has increased in recent years. Saskia Gränitz, who deals intensively with the topic of homelessness, often cites the social crises that permeate society as the reason. A 36.8% increase in violent crime against homeless people from 2018 to 2023 demonstrates this trend. Particularly alarming: In 2022, 885 acts of violence were registered against this vulnerable group, with many of those affected often not reporting them for fear of repression.

As sueddeutsche.de reports, another violent incident occurred in the past when a 78-year-old homeless man was found burned under a bridge. A 56-year-old suspect was arrested, the exact motives are still unclear. Police initially investigated possible hate crimes before DNA evidence from the victim at the crime scene led to the suspect.

Causes and needs

In her research, Gränitz also addresses the problems that remain largely misunderstood. Violence against women, particularly homeless women, has increased 46.2% over the past five years, one of the steepest increases in violent crime. It becomes clear that a deeper social problem needs to be addressed in order to improve the plight of the homeless. Securing housing and reforming property relations could provide symptomatic relief.

Given these developments, it is high time that we as a society seriously address the issue of homelessness. It's not just about the individual fate of those affected, but about comprehensive social action that helps us take action against the roots of this violence. Your own view of the homeless and their treatment also has weight - we should all work together to promote a sensitized and solidarity-based society.