After pro-Palestinian protests in Berlin-Neukölln and an attack against a Jewish community in Berlin-Mitte, politicians are reacting clearly – and there is agreement across all factions.
Disturbing scenes in the capital: Two Molotov cocktails fly towards a synagogue in Berlin-Mitte. They are thrown by two masked people who then run away. The police are investigating.
On the same night, barricades burn in Berlin-Neukölln and violent riots break out between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and the police. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier finds clear words: “We do not want and will not tolerate that in Germany,” he said during a visit to Meiningen, Thuringia.
Steinmeier appeals to everyone to do more to prevent anti-Semitism from spreading further: “Everyone who lives in Germany must know the history of Auschwitz and the mission and responsibility that derives from it.”
The night’s events also caused horror within the federal government. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser calls the attack on the synagogue a “heinous act.” We will continue to use all legal means against extremists and violent criminals.
Scholz: “That outrages me personally”
Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz received the news from Berlin on his trip to Egypt: “I’m personally outraged by what some people are saying and doing there,” says Scholz. The SPD politician makes it clear that Germany will never tolerate attacks on Jewish institutions.
A position that the parliamentary groups in the Bundestag agree with. In the afternoon they will debate what can be done against anti-Semitism in a current hour.
Speakers from the Greens and the CDU/CSU put it this way: The phrase “Never again” must be brought to life. One should not shrug and watch as the front doors of Jewish citizens are daubed with Stars of David, says Green MP Lamya Kaddor.
For Alexander Hoffmann from the CSU, the problem starts earlier: According to him, there is currently anti-Semitism that has come to us through migration. His demand therefore: a stricter refugee policy. Those who bring anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel onto the streets and squares have no place in our country.
Ministry of Justice practices self-criticism
The Union is calling for criminal law to be tightened when it comes to anti-Semitic and anti-Israel crimes. But Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann is skeptical: in his opinion, the current laws are sufficient. Addressing violent demonstrators and attackers, he says: “Jewish life belongs to Germany, and anyone who can’t bear that doesn’t belong to Germany.”
In the past few days, the Berlin police have registered more than 360 crimes in connection with the events in Israel and the Gaza Strip, including 121 violent crimes.
The parliamentary groups in the Bundestag present themselves in unusual unity today – including the AfD and the Left: More must be done against anti-Semitism. “Germany is not a safe place for Jewish life,” admits Benjamin Strasser, State Secretary of the FDP-led Justice Ministry. In the last election period he was the Liberals’ anti-Semitism commissioner in the Bundestag. He now speaks of mistakes in the fight against anti-Semitism and announces a “self-critical analysis”.