Alberich Lichtenberg (@Germanien)

—SAFER IN MEXICO CITY THAN IN MUNICH? 🤔 MY PERSPECTIVE AS A GERMAN— (PART 1) Many people—especially family members, friends, classmates, and followers on social media—often ask me how I perceive safety in #MexicoCity compared with #Munich. Whenever this debate comes up, I usually respond with something that surprises many: based on my personal experience, I have felt less safe walking through the streets of the Bavarian capital than through those of the Mexican capital. Going out at night, for example, is something that causes me more concern here than there; although, of course, I recognize that safety always depends on the neighborhood, the time of day, and the specific circumstances. In both cities, the distribution of crime follows similar socioeconomic patterns: areas facing greater economic hardship tend to experience more problems, as the lack of resources and opportunities perpetuates vulnerable environments. However, crime is not confined to those margins. Both in #Mexico and in #Germany, criminal activity also extends into wealthier neighborhoods in search of more profitable targets, although in those areas the presence of surveillance systems and private security often discourages or reduces the frequency of such incidents. Public safety has been a matter of deep concern in German society for quite some time now. In everyday life—in conversations with neighbors, friends, or colleagues—the widespread feeling is that the situation has changed dramatically in recent years. There is a palpable perception that the reality on the streets is far more complex and serious than what official media or institutional statistics usually reflect. Like many people around me, I share the uncomfortable feeling that certain information is downplayed or excessively softened in order to avoid causing public alarm. Yet direct experiences often paint a very different picture. Nowadays, many of us share very specific concerns that previously felt foreign to our daily lives: hesitation about using public transportation at certain hours, distrust when crossing parks or public spaces after dark, or anxiety over tensions arising in schools, sports facilities, and shopping centers. When reflecting on the causes, I see a clear divergence in the underlying drivers of crime in each country: 🇲🇽 In Mexico, criminality is often linked to deep-rooted and long-standing structural failures: extreme poverty, limited access to quality education, enormous income inequality, and social vulnerability that pushes certain sectors toward marginalization. 🇩🇪 In Germany, by contrast, the factors many citizens identify as triggers are of a different nature: there is intense debate around failed integration policies, cultural clashes that create serious friction in everyday coexistence, and situations in which certain groups do not manage—or do not wish—to embrace the values of our society, developing instead feelings of rejection, rivalry, or misunderstanding toward our culture and way of life. #Europe #Diversity #Migration #LatinAmerica #NorthAmerica #HispanicAmerica #RefugeesWelcome #Multiculturalism #UnAlemánEnMéxico #EinDeutscherStudentInMexiko