In Bonn, stones were thrown at a synagogue, in Mannheim a window of a synagogue fell and in Düsseldorf a stone monument in front of a synagogue was set on fire, which was destroyed by the Nazis during Kristallnacht in 1938.
Israeli flags were burned at several demonstrations. German President Steinmeier called the incidents punishable: “Anyone who burns a flag with a Star of David and shouts anti-Semitic slogans is not only abusing the right to demonstrate, but is also committing crimes that must be prosecuted.”
The German police have further increased security at synagogues and Jewish institutions. The Interior Ministry says it will do everything “humanly possible” to secure Jewish buildings.
Justice is investigating whether protesters have committed criminal offenses. According to the German government, the “perpetrator spectrum consists partly of Islamists and of left-wing activists”.
Demonstration at Israeli Embassy The Hague
Demonstrations against Israel were also held in the Netherlands this week, as far as is known, without shouting anti-Semitic slogans. In The Hague at the Israeli embassy Israeli flags trampled and torn to pieces on Wednesday. The police told the NOS that they had no signals that the security at Jewish buildings in the Netherlands has been scaled up.
A pro-Palestinian demonstration is scheduled for this afternoon from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Jaarbeurs in Utrecht. This was announced on the Instagram account of influencer Marwa Juice.
In the previous large-scale conflict between Israel and Hamas, in 2014, anti-Semitic incidents also took place here at demonstrations. In the Schilderswijk in The Hague, protesters carried IS flags, death threats were made to Jews and the Hitler salute was given.
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