After covering the planned topics for the City Breakfast – including the return of around 5,800 children to preschool and primary school, as well as ongoing work on the city’s climate plan – Mayor Lydie Polfer unexpectedly turned to a subject not on the official agenda: new details about the violent assault on a woman that took place on Saturday, 17 August, inside a building off Grand Rue in the city centre.
Polfer explained that the victim had written to her following reports that bystanders failed to intervene. "The woman wrote to me to say it was being alleged that people present did not help her. That is not true", Polfer emphasised, adding that she had been in direct contact with the victim, who authorised her to clarify the facts.
The mayor clarified that, contrary to some reports, the attack did not happen on Grand Rue itself but inside a building. She stressed that it was also incorrect to suggest that nobody assisted the victim after the incident. According to the woman's account, before she encountered police officers, she had only come across a homeless person sleeping on the street and a man who appeared to be under the influence of drugs. Police were able to detain the suspected attacker immediately after the assault.
The public prosecutor’s office is currently investigating the case for attempted murder, bodily harm, rape, sexual assault, and theft. In an earlier press release, the prosecutor’s office stated that the woman had reportedly asked people for help but did not immediately receive assistance; however, the investigation is ongoing and the statement was phrased conditionally. Polfer said she found it difficult to imagine that nobody had helped.
"I asked her directly. It would have been shocking if people present had not helped", Polfer recounted. "She told me that was not the case." According to the mayor, the woman wished to thank everyone who had supported her, including the police and hospital staff.
Another issue – frequent drone sightings in recent days – was brought up by journalists, despite not being on the official agenda. Polfer said the city had received no reports of drone activity over Luxembourg City’s territory. She added that drone regulation falls under national, not municipal, responsibility.
Luxembourg City is launching a new climate plan aimed at strengthening climate protection and driving the energy transition in the coming decades. The plan focuses on reducing electricity and energy consumption, cutting dependency on fossil fuels, improving air quality, and lowering CO₂ emissions. "We have seen positive trends in recent years, but if we continue as we are, we will not meet our climate goals", warned climate and environment officer Maud Lorang.
Key priorities include renovating buildings and electrifying transport. The city intends to reduce CO₂ emissions by either lowering consumption or increasing the use of renewable energy.
The plan will be developed together with residents, property owners, businesses, municipal services, and public institutions, including through consultations and an online idea box.
With this initiative, the city is reaffirming its climate goals: cutting CO₂ emissions by 55% by 2030, achieving CO₂ neutrality for municipal services by 2040, and aiming for city-wide neutrality by 2050. According to Mayor Polfer, CO₂ emissions in 2024 were already 22% lower than in 2014, even though the city’s population grew by 27% during that period.
