A Deadline journalist was physically assaulted yesterday evening [Saturday 15] while attending the Berlin Film Festival.
Matt Carey, our Documentary Editor, who is in town to cover and moderate panels for the festival’s documentary strand, was kicked and punched repeatedly in an unprovoked attack on Leipziger Strasse, near the Mall Of Berlin and the festival’s main hub of Potsdamer Platz.
Also yesterday evening, at a similar time, a female film sales agent was aggressed by a group of youths while walking through Elise Tilse Park, between the Movenpick Hotel and Hotel London, a few minutes walk from Potsdamer Platz.
Matt was on his way to a dinner at around 7.30pm when the attack took place. According to Matt, a group of around 8-10 youths, described as likely in their teens, initially threw a hard, icy snowball at him. When he turned around to ask them to stop, the group rounded on him and began to kick and punch him, forcing him to the floor and damaging his glasses.
After the initial attack, Matt crossed the road to a busier part of the street where he noticed a woman had fallen on the ice and was in need of help. As Matt tried to help the woman, members of the group returned, and in a video captured by the public and posted below, one can be seen repeatedly kicking Matt.
Little is known about the suspects. There is no suggestion they are connected to the festival. In the video, one of the group speaks in Arabic, asking his friend to stop kicking our colleague. He also swears in French.
Matt, a respected veteran journalist on the documentary scene, was left shaken and bruised (as seen in the two images below) by the incident but didn’t need to go to hospital. He filed an online police report last night but has yet to hear from the authorities. We have called the Berlin police office but haven’t been able to speak to anyone. The festival has reached out to Matt and told us it is in contact with the police but it not yet clear whether there is an investigation underway.
Festival organizers said: “Tricia Tuttle and the entire Berlinale team are shocked by the incident that happened to Deadline journalist Matt Carey on the streets of Berlin last night. We are all concerned for his welfare.
“We immediately reached out to Matt personally to offer our undivided support, both personally in what is a very difficult and frightening situation. Our team are in now in touch with the police and will support Matt as he seeks a full and swift investigation by the police.”
The international film sales agent, who preferred us not to name her, told us that she was walking with a friend to a work dinner when she was hit on the side of the head by an icy snowball, which cut her ear. The group of 6-8 youths then walked towards her in what she describes as a menacing fashion, hurling more snowballs. Most of the group had covered faces, some wore balaclavas.
The executive was unable to run due to a prior injury so crouched down and began to scream, as did her friend, who also tried to film the incident. She says the group were holding bottles and insulted and threatened them in English. Once the executives told the group they were calling the police they moved away.
The film exec detailed what happened to local police who came to her hotel. The police noted that there have been other incidents in the area and that the park was a blindspot from cameras.
At Deadline, this is the first instance we’ve heard of delegates being attacked during the Berlin Film Festival. There have been multiple instances of crime reported during the Cannes Film Festival in the past.
According to the Berlin police website, if anyone encounters violence in the city they should “stay alert, not react to provocation, walk away, draw attention to your situation by using your voice, ask for help, approach bystanders, and always call the police emergency number 110.”
