World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

Sales of personal safety items such as pepper sprays, mace, and even guns, have increased dramatically in Germany this year.  According to Die Welt:

“The Frankfurter manufacturer DEF-TEC Defense Technology reported this fall, an increase of 600 per cent sales of pepper spray. ‘In early September was the lot. The dealers have since been overrun downright’ says Managing Director Kai Prase.

“Especially handy models MK 8 MK MK 6 and 3, all of which are also used in non-professional use would reordered in large quantities. ‘We have never experienced anything in 21 years of company history.’ And what triggered the Run? ‘Fear. This is not rational,’ says Prase who has puzzled with dealers about the possible reasons for the weapons hype. ‘There probably falls often the word refugee crisis.'” (translated by Google)

Interestingly, the use of pepper sprays in Germany is limited only to use against dangerous animals.  Even German soldiers abroad are forbidden to use pepper spray as it is considered to be a violation of the Geneva Convention against Chemical Weapons.

The UN estimates that as many as one million children in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger have been prevented from going to school by the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram.   Schools have been special targets of the extremist groups and parents are reluctant to allow their children to be exposed to the violence.  It is impossible to calculate how damaging this consequence of extremist violence has and will be to the future of these countries.