Homeless people are often attacked because they are considered to be inferior – such attacks can be sudden and without any obvious cause. Attacks on homeless people are often characterised by a particular level of brutality. The basis for these inhumane acts is widespread Social Darwinism, which denies human dignity to socially-marginalised people.

In recent years, the media has reported a number of shocking cases: for example, people sleeping on the street have been set on fire and a homeless man was beaten to death by the manager of a branch of the Edeka supermarket chain in Lichtenberg station. Despite the extreme violence, homeless people do not enjoy any strong representation in society, so there is no specific census of cases for Berlin. The Federal Working Group for the Assistance of the Homeless (BAGW) has, however, been trying for 20 years to document cases of Social Darwinist violence throughout Germany, in addition to its other varied activities.

A selection of the documented cases can be found here. For further documentation a request must be made to the BAGW: bagw.de/de/themen/gewalt/