Anti-Israel protests in Germany prompt calls for antisemitism crackdown

Politicians in Germany have called for tougher measures against antisemitism after thousands of people attended what became aggressive protests at the weekend in connection with the escalating violence in the Middle East.

In the most violent protest, in the southern Berlin district of Neukölln, demonstrators who had gathered to show solidarity with Palestinians burned Israeli flags, chanted anti-Israel slogans and flew Hamas banners.

“We are experiencing antisemitic protests and despicable hatred towards Jews in these days, which makes it vital that we take on antisemitism much more decisively,” Paul Ziemiak, the general secretary of the Christian Democrats, told German media.

The Neukölln demonstration, which drew a reported 6,500 people, was broken up by police who had warned organisers they must adhere to coronavirus restrictions. A small group among the demonstrators threw bottles, stones and fireworks at some of the 600 officers in attendance, who responded with pepper spray. An unknown number of protesters were injured and scores of arrests were made.

The demonstration had reportedly started peacefully on Saturday morning when 120 people gathered in the district, which is home to a large number of people of Arab origin, and called for a “free Palestine from Jordan to the Mediterranean”.

At another demonstration, in Mannheim, an Israeli flag was burned and arrests were made. Charges of hate speech, bodily harm and assault were brought against some participants.

In Cologne, a further pro-Palestine protest drew 800 participants, twice the number , before police broke it up. There were also large gatherings in Hamburg, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Hanover, where calls were made for the dissolution of Israel.

Felix Klein, the federal government’s ombudsman for tackling antisemitism, called for police and prosecutors to be given greater powers to recognise antisemitism and punish those expressing it.

He told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung he wanted the introduction of a national strategy in the fight against antisemitism and a “European standard” for its identification and punishment.

Wolfgang Schäuble, the president of the Bundestag, said that while it was legitimate to “sharply criticise” the politics of Israel and to “protest loudly” against it, “there is no justification for antisemitism, hate and violence”. In particular he condemned protesters who had questioned the right of Israel to exist.

He said Muslim refugees and migrants in Germany had to be made aware “that they have immigrated to a country in which the particular responsibility for Israel is part of our identity”.

He called for Jewish communities and facilities to be given the best possible protection. Security has been considerably stepped up at schools, synagogues and hospitals in recent days.