Jewish men attacked with belt by Arabic-speaking youth in central Berlin
AFP/The Local
18 April 2018
12:26 CEST+02:00
12:26 CEST+02:00
Share this article
Footage from the attack. Source: Facebook/ Jewish Forum for Democracy
A video has emerged showing an Arab youth attacking two Jewish men in broad daylight on the streets of Berlin on Tuesday.
The attack happened at around 8pm on Tuesday evening in the Prenzlauer Berg district, police report.
The two Jewish men who were reportedly wearing kippas, were verbally attacked by a group of three youths, who used anti-Semitic epithets against them.
One youth then emerged from the group of three young men and attacked a 21-year-old Israeli with his belt, while shouting “Jew” at him.
The victims of the attack were able to record footage of it on a mobile phone, which was later published on Facebook by the Jewish Forum for Democracy (JFDA).
The attacker’s companions stopped him from continuing the attack and fled the scene with him. When the young Israeli followed them, the man picked up a glass bottle and tried to attack him with it. A female bystander was able to step between the men and prevent further injury.
In a video interview with Bild newspaper, one of the victims, identified as an Israeli citizen named Adam, said the main attacker seemed to have a "Syrian dialect".
"I am very sad but at the same time I'm happy that we were able to achieve something with the video," he said, speaking fluent German.
"I am a little afraid now, and disappointed," he said, adding that he nevertheless planned to continue wearing the kippa in Berlin. "I hope the police will be able to find the attackers soon - the police were very responsive."
The two Jewish men who were reportedly wearing kippas, were verbally attacked by a group of three youths, who used anti-Semitic epithets against them.
One youth then emerged from the group of three young men and attacked a 21-year-old Israeli with his belt, while shouting “Jew” at him.
The victims of the attack were able to record footage of it on a mobile phone, which was later published on Facebook by the Jewish Forum for Democracy (JFDA).
In a video interview with Bild newspaper, one of the victims, identified as an Israeli citizen named Adam, said the main attacker seemed to have a "Syrian dialect".
"I am very sad but at the same time I'm happy that we were able to achieve something with the video," he said, speaking fluent German.
"I am a little afraid now, and disappointed," he said, adding that he nevertheless planned to continue wearing the kippa in Berlin. "I hope the police will be able to find the attackers soon - the police were very responsive."
Political and religious leaders express shock
German political and religious leaders expressed shock Wednesday over the attack.
A spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel and Justice Minister Katarina Barley condemned the incident as a "disgrace" for German democracy.
"It is unbearable that Jews in Germany are attacked on the open street in the middle of Berlin," Barley tweeted.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany "bears a responsibility to protect Jewish life" more than 70 years after the end of the Holocaust in which the Nazis murdered six million European Jews.
The head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Joseph Schuster, told AFP he was "shocked" by the incident, noting that it had occurred in a "bourgeois" area and not in a "majority Muslim quarter".
"This case must be met with the full force of the law," he said.
Several recent incidents have raised alarm about anti-Semitism among Berlin’s Muslim Middle Eastern population. Last month a man reported that his daughter was bullied at her primary school by Muslim classmates due to her Jewish faith. One classmate reportedly told her that she deserved to be beaten and killed.German political and religious leaders expressed shock Wednesday over the attack.
A spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel and Justice Minister Katarina Barley condemned the incident as a "disgrace" for German democracy.
"It is unbearable that Jews in Germany are attacked on the open street in the middle of Berlin," Barley tweeted.
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany "bears a responsibility to protect Jewish life" more than 70 years after the end of the Holocaust in which the Nazis murdered six million European Jews.
The head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Joseph Schuster, told AFP he was "shocked" by the incident, noting that it had occurred in a "bourgeois" area and not in a "majority Muslim quarter".
"This case must be met with the full force of the law," he said.
“It is unbearable that a young Jewish man was attacked on the streets of a well-to-do neighbourhood like Prenzlauer Berg because he showed his Jewish faith," said Levi Salomon from the JFDA. “This shows that Jews are not even safe here. Politicians need to do something - the time for talking is over."
No comments:
Post a Comment