Since the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, anti-Semitism has also become increasingly widespread in this country. Authorities have now launched coordinated raids against the spread of hatred of Jews.
The suspects are said to have celebrated Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel and spread hatred of Jews: Bavarian law enforcement authorities carried out raids in ten municipalities against suspected anti-Semites. Police and public prosecutors searched several properties in the morning.
According to the Bavarian State Criminal Police Office (LKA), they are investigating 17 suspects who are said to have made hate speech on social networks, used the symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations or approved crimes.
Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich and Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (both CSU) emphasized that the police and judiciary in Bavaria had sent “a clear signal against anti-Semitism.” “In serious cases, incitement can also result in prison sentences,” Eisenreich warned the authors of hate messages.
The criminal proceedings against the 17 accused should not remain a headline-grabbing one-off event: “Through the meticulous evaluation of the evidence, we also hope to find new investigative approaches to further crimes and perpetrators,” said Interior Minister Herrmann.
Between the ages of 18 and 62
The suspects are 2 women and 15 men between the ages of 18 and 62. The focus of the operation was the city and district of Munich, where the authorities looked at nine suspects and searched the same number of objects. There were further searches in Füssen and Kaufbeuren as well as in the districts of Passau, Fürstenfeldbruck, Berchtesgadener Land, Coburg, Aschaffenburg and Haßberge.
According to the information, a suspect sent a sticker in a WhatsApp class chat that showed a clown with the inscription “Gas the Jews”. A German-Turkish suspect is said to have posted on his account that “the Jewish sons” deserved nothing other than to be slaughtered “and wiped out.”
According to the LKA, a Turkish citizen posted a picture of Hitler shortly after October 7 with the caption: “I could kill all the Jews, but I left some alive to show you why I killed them.”
According to figures from the Bavarian Anti-Semitism Research and Information Center (RIAS), there were 148 anti-Semitic incidents in Bavaria between October 7th and November 9th, an increase compared to the same period last year. Over 90 percent were related to the atrocities committed by Hamas and the subsequent Israeli counterattack in the Gaza Strip.
“Since October 7th, Jews in Germany have also been experiencing psychological terror,” said Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, according to the RIAS statement. “For too long we have allowed anti-Semitism to reach the center of our society via right-wing extremist circles, left-wing radical demonization of Israel or Islamist fanatics.”
Anti-Semitic statements have been increasing since Corona
“Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel also has an impact on their lives in Germany,” said Michael Weinzierl, the Bavarian police’s hate crime commissioner. “Although there has been a new wave of anti-Semitism on Bavaria’s streets since then, the crimes that have already been committed must not be allowed to fade into the background.”
Because the development is not new, he told the German Press Agency. Anti-Semitic statements have been increasing in Germany since the Corona period. That’s why “we want to send a clear signal to both the judiciary and the police and pursue criminal anti-Semitism on this special day,” he emphasized.
“Ultimately, anti-Semitism is unfortunately very broadly anchored in society,” said Weinzierl. A focus lies on the right-wing spectrum. “But the Middle East conflict also shows that crimes are also committed in other structures based on religious ideology.”
Anti-Semitism runs through all ideologies and nationalities
Like no other area of hate crime, anti-Semitism cuts across all ideologies and nationalities. “And of course it’s not just the anti-Semitism of German citizens that plays a role. It must also be said that the vast majority, well over 90 percent, are Germans who commit anti-Semitic crimes.”
It is important to show Jews and Israelis “that we here in Bavaria stand behind them, that we protect them here and protect them from hostility,” emphasized Weinzierl. The focus of the campaign is on prosecuting criminal online activities, but also criminal statements during demonstrations.
Since the terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th, there have been repeated demonstrations by Palestinians and supporters on German streets, with some participants cheering on the Islamist Hamas.
“With this day of action, we are raising awareness among Jewish citizens that we are serious about combating anti-Semitic crimes,” said the anti-Semitism commissioner for the Bavarian judiciary, Andreas Franck.
The executive vice president of the International Auschwitz Committee, Christoph Heubner, said that the wave of anti-Semitic hate speech and violence on the Internet was a more than threatening development for Holocaust survivors. “That’s precisely why they are extremely grateful for the actions of the Bavarian police today: It is important if the democratic state shows anti-Semitic hatred the red card these days and also makes this demonstratively clear through police actions.” The raid shows “how old and new Nazis, together with Muslim extremists, are now rallying behind this hatred.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
