By Hildburg Bruns, Filipp Piatov, Stefan Peter and Carl-Victor Wachs
The demo of shame in Berlin! On Saturday, numerous participants marched through the capital’s districts of Kreuzberg and Neukölln, chanting hate speech: “Death to the Jews! Death to Israel!”. There is massive criticism from politicians – and the demand that something like this never happens again. The police are investigating.
▶︎ Israel’s Ambassador Ron Prosor (64): “While the Jewish state continues to advocate free worship for all religions at Easter, Ramadan and Passover, radical Palestinians are attacking and inciting believers and openly calling for the murder of Jews. This is an abuse of democracy.”
▶︎ Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (45, FDP): “When groups chant ‘Death to the Jews’ on German streets, there is an initial suspicion of hate speech under Section 130 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. I assume that all responsible security authorities will take appropriate action against it.”
▶︎ The deputy chief of the federal police union, Manuel Ostermann (32), demanded on Twitter: “Anti-Semitism in Germany must be fought with all constitutional means. The demo in Berlin is again a picture of shame. There has to be an end to rhetorical dismay. We need consistent action now.”
▶︎ Berlin’s soon-to-be ruler Kai Wegner (50, CDU): “The pictures from Neukölln are shocking. Anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism, no matter from which direction, must have no place in Berlin. I have full confidence in our police that the perpetrators will be quickly identified and punished. Berlin is and will remain cosmopolitan and tolerant.”
Around 300 participants came to the anti-Jewish demonstration in Neukölln Photo: picture alliance/dpa
▶︎ Berlin’s CDU General Stefan Evers (43): “There must never be such demonstrations again on Berlin and German soil. I demand an immediate analysis and clarification by the authorities. How can it be that such a demonstration is not broken up when there are police interpreters on site and they know what is being shouted?”
▶︎ Berlin MP Vasili Franco (30, Greens): “Frightening. It is not the first time that anti-Semitic incitement has shaped pro-Palestinian demos in Berlin. The fact that the police apparently did not intervene here is not really understandable.”
▶︎ Christoph Meyer, state chairman of the Berlin FDP: “Hate for Jewish life must not spill over into Berlin – and if it does, Berlin must react with the full force of the law. Anti-Semitic slogans are unacceptable. Anyone who does not accept this cannot be part of our community.”
▶︎ And Berlin’s Interior Senator Iris Spranger: “I condemn any kind of anti-Semitic threats and statements. Hatred has no place in our society. State security has started the investigation. The first evidence has already been evaluated.”
Video recordings are viewed
According to a spokesman, the Berlin police have several criminal charges. The police spokesman said on Monday that the first steps had been taken on suspicion of incitement to hatred.
▶︎ According to his own statements, the President of the German-Israeli Society (DIG), Volker Beck, is one of those who filed the complaint. “This Israel hate demonstration should not have taken place like this,” said Beck.
According to BILD information, video material from the demo has already been handed over to the police. Since it is unclear whether the translator who was deployed at the demonstration heard and understood everything, another certified translator will now look through the material. A legal assessment is then carried out in coordination with the Berlin public prosecutor’s office.
The demo of shame
Officially, around 300 participants demonstrated because of the ongoing conflicts surrounding the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. There have been repeated clashes between Muslims and Israeli security forces in the past few days
In fact, however, many of the Berlin demonstrators incited against Jews. The organization “democ” accompanied the protest – and documented the scandalous slogans.
Accordingly, the participants sang, among other things, “Death, Death, Death Israel”, thus demanding the violent annihilation of the Jewish state. “I create the bloody body,” they continued to shout.
▶︎ The loudspeaker car of the demo then sounded: “Death to the Jews.”
Just a day earlier there had been a deadly terrorist attack in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv. Two British-Israeli sisters (15 and 20) were also shot dead in the West Bank on the same day. Berlin’s Jew-haters threatened further attacks because of the conflicts on the Temple Mount: “Tel Aviv, the answer will come.”
They also praised the Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ military arm. The units are responsible for numerous suicide attacks against civilians, for hostage-taking and rocket terror, want the destruction of Israel. They torture and execute political opponents.
After all: at least the Berlin Jew-hater demonstration for Al-Quds Day will not take place this year. The organizers canceled the protest planned for next Saturday. A ban had previously been discussed.