There has been an “enormous rise” in the demand for self defence products including pepper spray in Germany as women react to the hundreds of sex crimes and assaults reported on New Year’s eve. Faith in the ability of the state to protect ordinary citizens as they go about their legitimate business has clearly taken a knock since the migrant attacks, which seem to have been perpetrated in the main by recent migrants and Syrian refugees. Shops selling self defence products have seen an run on their stores. German gun-shop owner Katja Triebel told Breitbart London “the sale of pepper spray has risen, as has sales of blank firing guns which can be loaded with pepper spray cartridges and other paralysers. “Other means of self defence are prohibited for ordinary citizens in Germany.” The pepper-spray guns are illegal in the United Kingdom but are freely available in Germany and can be bought without a licence. Ms. Triebel said her regular customers had also reported a sudden surge of interest among their friends and colleagues in visiting a firearms range to try out shooting. German newspapers have also reported this surge in sales, with one employee of store Globetrotter telling Cologne’s Express: “We are completely