German police have launched an investigation into allegations by several women who claimed to have been drugged at a summer party of Germany’s ruling Social Democrats (SPD) in Berlin last week.
The Berlin criminal police began an investigation into the allegations brought by at least five women who claimed they had been drugged at the Social Democrats party, which took place on Wednesday evening in the German capital and was attended by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
One of the alleged victims, a 21-year-old woman, stated that she drank soft drinks and ate food but noticed she became nauseous and dizzy around 9:30 p.m. and said she did not recall anything from the rest of the evening. The following morning she contacted the police and was also taken to a local hospital for examination, Der Spiegel reported.
Police stated on Saturday that at least four other alleged victims had come forward complaining of similar symptoms, but police also stated they had no reports of other crimes taking place at the party such as sexual assaults.
“This is an outrageous process, which on our part was immediately reported to the Bundestag police,” SPD parliamentary group managing director Mathias Martin said and called don any other possible victims to come forward.
A spokesman for the party later claimed on Monday that the number of alleged victims had risen to nine, while other members of the party, such as parliamentary group director Katja Mast, also called on any other victims to report to the police.
The alleged drugging incidents come as the Social Democrats and their leftist coalition with the Greens and the Free Democrats is losing popularity in Germany due to the German public becoming less enthusiastic about the coalition’s climate change goals as energy prices remain high.
A senior European Union commissioner recently called on Germany to delay closing its nuclear power stations to help cushion the energy crisis. The German government is sticking to plans to close three nuclear power stations by the end of this year.