rally
Heated atmosphere at the Palestine demo at the FU
Participants of the pro-Palestinian rally at the Free University (FU) in Berlin. The university has come under criticism from several quarters after a Jewish student was beaten and injured by his fellow student over the weekend. photo
© Monika Skolimowska/dpa
A few days after the attack on the Jewish student Lahav Shapira, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel groups met at a demonstration at the Free University.
A few days after the attack on a Jewish student at the Free University of Berlin (FU) pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators met there at a rally. According to the police, around 85 people followed a call for the demonstration in front of the FU cafeteria under the title “Solidarity with Palestine”. There were around 20 counter-demonstrators.
As the event progressed, a dpa reporter observed an increasingly heated atmosphere, with verbal arguments breaking out between individuals. Occasionally the police intervened. There were no physical confrontations. After the demo ended, the police reported that four criminal investigations had been initiated for insults.
Incident at the weekend
At the weekend, 30-year-old Jewish FU student Lahav Shapira was hospitalized with broken bones in his face. A 23-year-old pro-Palestinian German fellow student is said to have hit and kicked him in the nightlife district in Berlin-Mitte. The Berlin public prosecutor’s office is investigating the accusation of grievous bodily harm; the act is currently classified as both anti-Semitic and in connection with the Middle East conflict.
After the violent act, the university management was criticized for not taking anti-Semitic incidents and fears of Jewish students seriously. A demand for resignation came from the RCDS student association. However, university president Günter Ziegler rejected the allegations in the “Tagesspiegel”. “The portrayal by some media outlets that anti-Semites have been walking around campus unhindered for weeks does not describe reality,” Ziegler told the newspaper. Anti-Semitic incidents would be punished or stopped as quickly as possible.
Regarding calls to expel the alleged perpetrator in the Shapira case from the university, Ziegler said: “We want to discuss with politicians whether exmatriculations should be made possible in particularly extreme cases in Berlin.” If criminals pose a threat to other students, it is “a desirable and necessary measure to prevent them from studying.” However, his opinion on this has not yet been completed.
Protest against war and university management
The university had previously distanced itself from the Palestine demonstration, which had already been registered before the attack on Shapira. Demonstrators initially stood quietly in front of the large cafeteria of the FU in Dahlem and held banners and signs with slogans like “Freedom for Palestine!” and “Stop the hypocrisy!”. Some wore Palestinian scarves, and later there were chants of “Free Palestine” and “FU shame on you.”
A 22-year-old student said he came specifically from Humboldt University to protest “against the genocide.” Participants accused the university management of taking a one-sided position in favor of Israel. Criticism of the Israeli government is suppressed with accusations of anti-Semitism. At times, objective, calm exchanges were observed. The loud shouting of their own demonstrators leads to nothing, said 21-year-old FU student Ahmed: “You throw hate in and you get hate back.”
Jewish student: almost daily hostility
According to his own statements, Enno Speer (21) took part in the counter-protest as a non-Jewish person to send a signal after the attack: “We are not giving up, we are continuing to stand up for our values.” Don’t let yourself be intimidated. An 18-year-old of Jewish faith, who wore a kippah and said he was not studying, said he saw Jewish students in Berlin in danger and therefore wanted to show solidarity. “Lahav Shapira was just the beginning,” he said.
A Jewish FU student said: “Hostility occurs almost every day,” especially on social media, but also through verbal threats. The feeling of insecurity has increased significantly since October 7th. “In general, I would say no Jew feels really safe.” When asked about the attack on Shapira, a spokeswoman for the rally said: “Of course we stand against any form of discrimination, be it anti-Semitism, be it Islamophobia, be it racism.”
“Anti-Semitic sentiment”
Samuel Salzborn, the Berlin contact on anti-Semitism, confirmed to the dpa that he heard from Jewish students that they did not feel safe, especially at the FU. The act of violence against Lahav Shapira was “an expression of an overall anti-Semitic mood.” The attack did not take place at the university, but on public property. “The background seems to be that anti-Semitic propaganda continues to catch on among students and that a minority is becoming increasingly and rapidly radicalized,” said Salzborn. “Without an anti-Semitic worldview, such an escalation of violence would not occur.” Salzborn emphasized that the Berlin Higher Education Act obliges universities to take decisive action against any anti-Semitism.