Gangs of youths are carrying out increasingly violent attacks in Western Europe, while immigration is drastically transforming once-quiet neighbourhoods. In some places, measures are being takenagainst “foreigners”, and although these draw criticism, local residents say they feel safer. Some forecasts, however, paint a bleak picture for the future of Western societies.

A normally tranquil seaside town on France’s Normandy coast was rocked by scenes of shocking violence last week after a gang of around 30 teenagers attacked a family-run restaurant in the middle of the night.

The owner, 60-year-old chef Elie Lebaïf, was stabbed in the buttocks and his wife, Isabelle, assaulted as they tried to defend their establishment, “La Promenade,” from the rampaging gang

The incident took place shortly after midnight on July 16 in Jullouville, a popular resort town on the English Channel. According to Lebaïf, he was alerted by the sound of banging and breaking glass. Outside, dozens of teenagers — described as drunk, armed with knives, and between 15 and 18 years old — were hurling stones and attacking the restaurant’s windows and doors.

No further description of the attackers has been published.

“They broke everything: doors, tables, windows, chairs, menu racks,” the restaurant later wrote on its Facebook page. “They tried to destroy what years of labor had built.”

– wrote the owner of the restaurant later, on his Facebook page.

According to the restaurant, the attack may have been an act of retaliation. Just days earlier, Elie had confronted the same group for throwing tables and chairs onto the nearby seawall. When he told them to leave, they fled upon the arrival of the police. The gang returned in force on the night of July 16, “in packs,” the restaurant noted. “Because alone, they immediately feel less strong.”

In Germany, a shopkeeper recently shared how her life has changed over the past few years. The notorious Phoenix quarter in the south of Hamburg faces numerous problems, including drug trafficking, illegal gambling and frequent violence, while decades of mass immigration have transformed the neighbourhood. This, however, was not always the case.

“Everyone comes to me,” says Marlies Kurtz, a woman born in Thuringia who opened her small shop on Maretstrasse 35 years ago. “The nice people, the drug users, even those I normally avoid – they still show me respect,” she told the German newspaper Welt. At the same time, she emphasised that the changes in the area are far from heart-warming.

Kurtz says she has seen it all: “They have broken into my house. I have been attacked, threatened with firearms.” Despite the friendly atmosphere of her shop, her hospitality has strict limits.

No one is allowed inside the shop any more; instead, she serves customers through a narrow window. If danger threatens, she is forced to barricade herself in. “Now I have to secure everything; my shop has become a small fortress,”

– she said.

The Swiss have had enough

Because of violence, sexual harassment and constant disturbances, all foreigners have been banned from a swimming pool in Porrentruy, Switzerland. The ban was introduced after “French youths with a migration background” repeatedly caused trouble in the pool and its toilets, including the sexual harassment of young girls.

However, the Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten has reported a surge in season ticket sales following the introduction of the ban.

“It has worked very well. The citizens have rediscovered the swimming facility along with the peace and quiet that comes with it. We have seen an increase in season ticket sales because people have finally regained the long-awaited sense of security,”

– said Lionel Maitre, Porrentruy’s municipal councillor for tourism and leisure. “Since then there have been no problems, and no new swimming ban has been imposed.”

“People were climbing over the fence. They did not respect us – not even the security guards,” said Luna Lando, a lifeguard at the Porrentruy outdoor swimming pool. She says her daily routine has changed. “It is much quieter now,” Luna said in an interview. “There is no longer any need for security measures,” she added.

Forecasts are not too bright

Ethnic Germans are having fewer and fewer children, with new data showing that predictions of German minority status could become true much sooner than originally predicted – writes the RMX News site.

Germany’s birth rate is plummeting, reaching a concerning 1.35 children per woman in 2023; however, the situation is even more critical for women with German citizenship, whose fertility rate has hit a 30-year low.

The new data closely aligns with new predictions from Thilo Sarrazin, the former Bundesbank board member who authored the 2010 book “Deutschland schafft sich ab” (“Germany Is Abolishing Itself”). He now predicts that

by 2070, 80 percent of births will be to non-German mothers.

The Federal Statistical Office’s data shows that only 677,117 children were born in Germany last year, a 2 percent drop from the previous year. This ongoing decline paints a stark picture for Germany’s future demographics, especially for German citizens.

For women with German citizenship, the fertility rate now stands at just 1.23 children, a level not seen since 1996. Meanwhile, for women with foreign citizenship, the fertility rate is 1.84, which is close to replacement. However, Despite the falling birth rate and record deaths, Germany is seeing its population continuously increase due to mass immigration, which is radically shifting the demographic situation.