"All citizens are entitled to safety and security," said deputy government spokesperson Georg Streiter on 8 January at the government press conference. The events of New Year’s Eve must be thoroughly investigated before the appropriate conclusions can be drawn.

Chancellor condemns "disgusting criminal acts"

During the visit of the Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Cioloş to Berlin on 7 January, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the attacks in Cologne on New Year’s Eve are "totally unacceptable". "They are disgusting criminal acts which no state can tolerate, and which Germany certainly will not tolerate."

It is important, she continued, that everything that happened in Cologne be addressed openly. Questions such as whether misogyny is widespread in parts of some groups must also be investigated. All citizens, female and male, are entitled to answers, and "we, as state institutions, have the duty to deliver the right answers". If changes to the law are needed, or if greater police presence is necessary, these are necessary answers. "But we must also discuss the basis of our cultural coexistence in Germany, over and over again," stressed the Chancellor.

We must also regularly examine "whether we have done everything necessary in terms of requiring non-German citizens to leave Germany and in terms of deportation, in order to adopt a very clear stance vis à vis those who are unwilling to respect our laws".

The Federal Ministry of the Interior announced on Friday (8 January), that the suspects identified so far include refugees. The federal police has already identified 31 suspects known by name; 29 are not German citizens, 2 are German nationals. 18 of them are asylum-seekers.

Angela Merkel spoke by phone with Cologne’s Lord Mayor

In a telephone call with Cologne’s Lord Mayor Henriette Reker on Tuesday (5 January), Angela Merkel expressed her outrage at these "disgusting attacks" and sexual assaults on New Year’s Eve. She demanded that the full force of the law be brought to bear. Everything must be done to identify the perpetrators as rapidly and comprehensively as possible, and to punish them irrespective of their origin or background, she said.

Sigmar Gabriel calls for offenders to be sentenced swiftly

Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel has also demanded a thorough investigation and swift sentencing of the perpetrators. "They must be punished rapidly or our constitutional state will lose its authority," declared Sigmar Gabriel in an interview with the German newspaper Bild on 8 January. The police and courts are called on to make this possible.

Sigmar Gabriel advocates "zero tolerance for crime and sexual assault". If it emerges that refugees or asylum-seekers are among the perpetrators, the option of deportation must be examined. "We must explore every option offered by international law to return criminal asylum-seekers to their home countries," said the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs. "The threat of ending up in prison in their own countries is a far greater deterrent than the notion of a prison sentence in Germany."

Perpetrators must be brought to justice

Federal Justice Minister Heiko Maas confirmed on Thursday in an interview with the German newspaper Berliner Morgenpost, "Everything must be done to identify the perpetrators and bring them all to justice. People must never again be exposed unprotected to wanton violence on this scale."

Earlier, Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière also declared that every single perpetrator, regardless of their origins, must be punished. In an interview with the German newspaper Bild on 6 January he said that he could not yet give any precise information regarding the perpetrators. But, he said, "If refugees were involved, we must address this openly."

Assaults on women unacceptable

"The attacks and crimes perpetrated on New Year’s Eve in Cologne and other cities are horrific and cannot be tolerated," declared Thomas de Maizière on Tuesday 5 January. The assaults on women in particular are abhorrent and unacceptable."

This was reinforced by the Minister for Family Affairs Manuela Schwesig. "Women are not fair game. We will not tolerate attacks of any sort on women," she posted on Facebook (on 5 January).

No parallel societies will be accepted

Thomas de Maizière also declared that everything must be done to prevent the emergence of parallel societies. "We want to see the integration process respected and accepted as binding by both sides, the German state and the migrants." "It must be quite clear that everybody who lives in Germany and who wishes to live here must respect our laws and our social order, and must integrate. Anyone who fails to do so, will feel the full force of the law."

Anyone refusing to integrate will have to expect disadvantages, including cuts in benefits. Foreign citizens found guilty of serious criminal offences will have to leave our country, said Thomas de Maizière.

This was explained in more detail on Thursday 7 January by the Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas. "Anyone here who believes they stand above the law must be punished – no matter where they come from. The new, stricter legal position is entirely clear: asylum-seekers can be deported before a decision is made on their asylum application if they are sentenced to imprisonment of one year or more. The courts will have to decide on the severity of the penalties."

We cannot treat all refugees as suspects

Thomas de Maizière also said very clearly, however that it would be just as wrong to treat all refugees as suspects as it would to try to cover up criminal structures where they can be proven.

The investigations of the responsible state and federal police authorities are currently proceeding at top speed. Thomas de Maizière reported that he is in close contact with the state level justice ministers. "We are all adamant that the perpetrators of assaults of this sort must be rigorously identified."