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Women given date-rape drug at event with chancellor Olaf Scholz and MPs
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz with Prime Minister of the Saarland (Photo: Scholz's official Twitter page)

German Social Democratic Party (SDP) said Saturday (July 9) that at least nine women were given a date-rape drug at an invite-only event attended by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and MPs.

“There’s quite a lot of emotion,” a spokesperson for the SDP’s parliamentary group told AFP, confirming a report in the Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel.

The group’s Katja Mast added on Twitter “I advise all those concerned to file a complaint.”

The spokesperson did not rule out further cases adding to the nine already declared.

The SDP sent out an email to all those invited to the party on Wednesday night condemning a “monstruous act which we immediately declared to parliamentary police.”

The police would not comment when contacted by AFP.

About 1,000 people joined the chancellor and MPs at the SPD’s traditional summer bash ahead of the parliamentary recess.

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The spokesperson: “It was an internal event. You could only get in with an invitation. There’s still a lot of uncertainty, the police are investigating.”

Date-rape drugs are usually used to spike drinks or food and can leave victims confused and unable to defend themselves against assault.

According to the Berliner Zeitung daily, for 2021, Berlin police reported 22 cases involving date-rape drugs.

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The true number is likely to be far higher with victims often unable to recall exactly what happened or ashamed to make a complaint.

Also with the Covid-19 pandemic nightclubs and party venues were closed for much of last year in the German capital.

Source: alarabiyaenglish