Jewish man assaulted in Berlin in apparent antisemitic attack
41-year-old man wearing a kippah says he was punched, knocked against shop window, insulted
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Police in Germany said they are investigating a Jewish man’s report of being punched in the face and abused with antisemitic language while walking home in Berlin early Saturday.
A Berlin police news release said the 41-year-old man wearing a traditional skullcap, or kippa, passed three other men in Duerer Square at about 2:15 a.m. One of three punched him in the face, knocking him against a shop window, and added an antisemitic insult, the man told police when he reported the incident at a local precinct.
He was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released. Police said the men have not been located.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel used her weekly video podcast on Saturday to condemn anti-Jewish statements heard at recent protests over the recent fighting between Israel and Palestinian terror groups in Gaza.
Merkel said that “whoever takes hatred of Jews to our streets places himself outside our constitutional order.”
She added: “Such acts must be punished severely.”
The head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany also condemned antisemitic chants during the protests.
German police made some 60 arrests last Saturday while some 100 officers were hurt as a pro-Palestinian rally in Berlin turned violent.
Some participants at marches in towns across Germany shouted anti-Semitic slogans, which Merkel blasted as “unacceptable.” Others burned Israeli flags and in one case stoned the entrance to a synagogue.
More demonstrations in support of the Palestinians are scheduled for this weekend, in Berlin and in other cities.
The Times of Israel Community.