Berlin authorities are now pursuing criminal proceedings against officials in the Neukölln district over allegations that a youth center rape case was effectively buried because staff did not want to contribute to the stigmatization of “Muslim boys.”
The most serious political fallout so far has centered on Sarah Nagel of The Left Party, Neukölln’s councilor for youth affairs, against whom proceedings for alleged obstruction of justice are now underway, according to Welt.
Criminal complaints over other possible offenses have also been filed against the head of the district youth welfare office, according to Berlin Education and Youth Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch, a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
The case has triggered outrage across Berlin because the alleged cover-up was not just a bureaucratic failure, but a conscious decision not to involve the authorities even after repeated warnings from outside staff.
Earlier this week, Remix News reported on a sworn affidavit submitted to Berlin authorities by employees of a neighboring facility, who said they urged staff at the Wutzkyallee youth center to file a criminal complaint over serious sexual assault allegations. According to the statement, those calls were ignored.
The affidavit, reproduced by Bild and BZ, stated, “In this context, we informed the social services coordinator that a report must be filed. The social services coordinator refrained from doing so, as she feared the marginalization of the group of perpetrators. In essence, she stated that the Muslim boys are already sufficiently in the sights of the police and that she wants to prevent a general suspicion.”
At the heart of the case, a 16-year-old girl is said to have been raped at the Neukölln youth center in November last year by a teenage suspect. Months later, she was allegedly sexually assaulted again inside the same facility, this time by a group of up to eight Muslim teens in a secluded room at the center.
According to earlier reporting, the center had allegedly seen repeated sexual misconduct, including girls being forcibly hugged, groped on the breasts and buttocks without consent, and pulled onto boys’ laps.
The perpetrators allegedly filmed the assaults and used the footage to blackmail the victim. It is also said that they attempted to contact her younger sister and pressure her into meeting them.
One of the most damaging aspects of the affair is the timeline now emerging around who knew what and when. Police only became aware of the case on Feb. 23 this year, after the victim’s father filed a report. According to the district, the youth welfare office had already been informed on Jan. 28, but no complaint was filed by either the institution itself or the responsible district office.
🇩🇪 A Muslim grooming gang that committed a series of rapes at a youth center in Germany was not reported to the authorities because a social services coordinator didn't want to stigmatize Muslims.
A signed affidavit from the Wutzkyallee youth center, in the Neukölln borough of… pic.twitter.com/5tNWmwKlB4
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) March 25, 2026Nagel reportedly did not learn of the incidents until March 2. By then, Berlin’s Senate administration had already begun looking into the matter after receiving an anonymous tip at the end of February.
According to Welt, Günther-Wünsch told lawmakers in the Berlin House of Representatives that her administration launched an investigation after learning of the case, but conflicting accounts from the district led to a formal review, which found that no standard child protection procedure had been initiated.
“I am still shocked and deeply affected by the suffering,” the senator said during question time in parliament.
She also sharply criticized the Neukölln district leadership. “It’s not enough to express concern,” she said, adding that what was now required were “clear and tangible consequences.”
Günther-Wünsch accused district mayor Martin Hikel of failing to take responsibility. “Not a single word on this case, no acceptance of responsibility,” she said, criticizing the fact that a district councilor who is herself under investigation was still expected to take part in clarifying the affair.
The Wutzkyallee youth club has been closed since March 13, according to the district. Berlin’s State Criminal Police Office and the public prosecutor’s office are now investigating the alleged assaults.
A motion to remove Nagel from office was initially blocked from the agenda and is not expected to return until next month at the earliest.
Nagel said on Wednesday that one staff member from the youth welfare office had been transferred to another position, with additional action still under review as the investigation continues.
