German cities plagued by violent ‘Lebanese clans’

…many members registered as depending on state welfare benefits.

The Old Continent: On 15 April, German magazine Focus published on the growing problems with criminal ‘Lebanese clans‘ in Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW). Using a zero-tolerance strategy, the Minister of the Interior, Herbert Reul, wants to combat the criminal extended families in the Ruhr-area. The aim is to prevent the creation of lawless zones in the cities such as Essen, Duisberg and Gelsenkirchen. Focus calls this quite the challenge, as the influence of these crime families is steadily increasing, and says it offers an analysis of the problem.

Focus opens the article with a description of large-scale police raids in the inner city of Essen. Police, in cooperation with city officials (health and safety, tax and customs officers), check out the betting offices, Shisha-bars, ‘oriental’ snack bars and all other small shops of the Lebanese family-clans.

The list of offences committed by members of these clans is long: robbery, theft, bodily harm, threats, protection rackets, drugs trafficking, illegal possession of firearms, right up to murder. In many areas, the clans control the streets, with critics going as far as to speak of ‘no-go areas’.

During the raids, Reul was interviewed by Focus in front of Shisha-bar Hookah INN, which is considered a meeting places for members of the clans. While police were checking the identities of guests and staff, and putting a suspect in a van, the Minister talks about the aims of his ‘security offensive’.  MORE HERE