The attack on a Jewish restaurant in Chemnitz caused a stir nationwide in 2018. Now a defendant has been convicted – but the 30-year-old does not have to be in custody.
Three years after the attack on the Jewish restaurant “Schalom” in Chemnitz, innkeeper Uwe Dziuballa separated only about two meters from one of the stone throwers in court on Wednesday.
While the man from Lower Saxony remains silent on the allegations, Dziuballa reports as a witness of the attack on the evening of August 27, 2018. After just one day of the trial, the Chemnitz District Court found the 30-year-old defendant guilty on Wednesday. The German was sentenced to one year imprisonment for dangerous bodily harm and breach of the peace, suspended on probation. This includes a previous drug trafficking conviction.
The attack dates back to the days when marches and riots in the city made international headlines. In addition, right-wing extremists from all over Germany came to the Saxon city. The trigger was the violent death of a 35-year-old on the sidelines of a city festival, for which a Syrian was later convicted.
Dziuballa was born in the city. A lecture was given in his “Shalom” that evening. Then a group of about 10 people suddenly appeared in front of the restaurant, and stones flew. The now 56-year-old spoke of a “shock moment” on Wednesday. One of the stones hit his shoulder. He was also cursed anti-Semitic. Then the attackers disappeared. Investigators found paving stones, beer bottles, an iron rod and a broken wooden slat in front of the restaurant. The DNA on one of the stones led them to the man from the Stade district.
The 30-year-old has multiple criminal records. During an apartment search, officials found a black-white-red balaclava, his email address contains the number 88, which is popular with right-wing extremists. Investigators were also able to restore a chat on his cell phone in which he had arranged to meet for the day in Chemnitz. Chat partner is said to have been a Thuringian right-wing extremist.
Judge Dominik Börner did not doubt the guilt of the accused – even if innkeeper Dziuballa could not recognize him in court and an evaluation of videos of the meetings on that day did not result in a hit. In his reasoning for the judgment, Börner spoke of a “logical chain”. The defendant and his defense attorney had not provided any explanation during the trial as to how the DNA had otherwise come to the stone. The trail leads to him and the deed fits into his political worldview, stated Börner.
Prosecutor Thomas Fischer had also spoken of a “racist act” in his plea. The landlord should have been met because he professed to be Judaism. Fischer demanded a total of one year and one month’s sentence – without parole. The defense, however, demanded acquittal. In addition to the DNA trace, no further evidence of his client’s guilt was found, said lawyer Jan-Hendrik Herms.
The verdict is not yet legally binding. Regardless of the judge’s verdict, Dziuballa was satisfied that the trial had now come – even if it was three years in coming. The procedure is a sign that throwing stones also has consequences, he said.
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