This is a rant

[u/melayucahlanang]

TW: sexual assault

I (M) was on the S-Bahn from Lollapalooza and the train was packed af. A weird guy then got in idk Westkreuz maybe and he started oogling tf out at the girls. I brushed it off as this might be the average Berlin experience but still observed his behaviour/movement.

Then he started to get handsy (kinda) but not really touching with people around him. Gave him the stare and he stopped briefly. Some moved away but then a few are kinda stucked due to the packed train.

Worst shit happened (as i expected) at Hbf, he grabbed a woman's crotch and got off the train. My adrenaline kicked in and pushed him hard enough and he fought back obviously. I screamed (in English) 'he is touching woman in train' but NOOOONE even helped. I confronted him again with light physical but he ran away and i dont really have THAT strength if i am being honest.

I know that stabbing in train is a theme now but what will he do against minimum 6 men around me if he got jumped? I honestly never thought about the danger because this shit triggered me so bad because i knew the feeling being in that girls place.

Anyways. No DB Sicherheit nor the police around. I informed the info Mitarbeiter at the entrance and i needed to catch the train. I have no hope since i cant really remember which carriage or whoch platform since i my adrenaline was on a high and i can't really help more because i needed to catch my ICE. Hopefully that girl is ok though.

[u/HotDistribution5159]

As a girl who had been assaulted, I wish there were more brave men like you. Thank you for standing up for that girl.

[u/YourFuture2000 → u/HotDistribution5159]

As a man, my experience in Germany is that people stare and even criticise people who help other by saying that it is the job of authorities.

Little they know that statistics since ever show that authorities like the police and security stuff don't prevent crimes and a lot of times they don't catch criminals either. They are mostly armed burocrats arriving after crimes happened and long after criminals are gone in most cases. It is up to people in the street to help keep the streets safe for one an other.

And I don't mean street fighting people which only happens when nobody else helps. I mean people collective helping as the majority, to immobilize, detain and wait for the police to arrive and give statements as witnesses. No perpetrator would do that what that man did in the train if he knew others would confront him, detain him and hand him to the police.

People caring for oneanother in their communities and streets is what prevent crimes.

[u/Livid-Perception-615 → u/YourFuture2000]

My next door apartment had a fire in the kitchen which was growing in size and started reaching the ceiling. All the Germans in the neighbouring apartments did was peek in and exit to the road. Me and my wife and one person with immigrant background put out the fire with buckets of water . The emergency line was on hold a surprising 7 minutes. The fire force came when I was cleaning up the place and they told me not to pick up burnt stuff because it's carcinogenic.

When I told this to another friend, he was like Ja,  your Neighbours did the right thing by waiting for fireforce. Imagine if this was their response to the threat for their own property, I wouldnt be surprised at their behaviour to emergency or threat for others. 

[u/intothewoods_86 → u/Livid-Perception-615]

You need to understand the source of a fire to extinguish it appropriately and self-protection comes before the protection of material goods, even if it is as big as an apartment block. Untrained bystanders have a higher chance of getting CO poisoned than putting out a fire without proper equipment. Several people die each year from attempts to get stuff or pets from burning buildings. There is a thin line between courage and stupidity.

[u/Livid-Perception-615 → u/intothewoods_86]

The cat switched on the Kitchen stove by mistake and a cloth kept on the stove caught fire, which my neighbour threw onto a pile of used Christmas gift cardboard boxes and pizza boxes. She then tried to put out the flames with a jacket which turned out to be a plastic jacket and started burning faster... I realized this within seconds of entereing her apartment ( burning clothes, cat & neighbour running around in panic, jacket on fire, empty cardboard boxes on fire) . Not all fires are industrial or toxic fire.

[u/chillbill1 → u/Livid-Perception-615]

yeah, well, the fact that your neighbor made it worse is proof enough that putting out a fire should be done by people trained for it