Israeli student beaten in Berlin - debate about exmatriculation of the alleged perpetrator

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Berlin Senator Ina Czyborra: “I continue to reject exmatriculations based on political opinions”

Photo: Sebastian Gollnow / dpa

After the attack on the Jewish student Lahav Shapira in Berlin, a debate broke out about how to deal with the alleged perpetrator. The Central Council of Jews is calling for the man to be expelled. Berlin's Science Senator Ina Czyborra is skeptical about this: "It is a high fundamental right that would be affected by exmatriculation," the SPD politician told broadcaster RBB on Tuesday evening. “I fundamentally reject de-registration for political reasons.”

Universities are open spaces for communication and debate. »Science thrives on exchange, thrives on internationality, thrives on international students. And of course there are sometimes conflicts on campus. And we have to contain them.”

Czyborra was sharply criticized for this. Bavaria's anti-Semitism commissioner, Ludwig Spaenle, called for Czyborra's resignation "in view of the grotesque statements."

The Berlin CDU member of the Bundestag, Jan-Marco Luczak, told the “Bild” newspaper: “Mrs. Czyborra’s statement is in no way acceptable. To speak here of a 'conflict on campus' and to reject exmatriculation for 'political reasons' is dangerously distorting the facts." If universities are to remain open spaces for communication and debate, students must be dealt with with all possible consistency and severity “those who live out their hatred of Jews with violence,” said Luczak.

At the weekend, 30-year-old Lahav Shapira was hospitalized with broken bones in his face. A presumably pro-Palestinian fellow student is said to have asked Shapira in Berlin-Mitte about his pro-Israel commitment and then suddenly punched and kicked him.

"Violence against people is never justified"

On Wednesday, Czyborra responded to the criticism. In a statement she said: »Violence against people is never justified. Against this background, I support the management of the Free University in its approach to enforcing a ban on the perpetrator. The step is necessary to protect victims from violent perpetrators and to create a safe space for students on the university campus. The politician had already welcomed the FU's announcement that she would examine this step on Monday.

Czyborra further explained that a fundamental distinction must be made between acts of violence, anti-Semitism and incitement on the one hand and expressions of political opinion on the other. »I continue to reject de-registrations based on political opinions. A democracy must accommodate different political opinions within this framework.«

Beyond the political assessment, it applies that both a house ban and exmatriculation conflict with the fundamental right to a free choice of career. "Before stricter measures are discussed, the existing resources must be exhausted, even if this ultimately has to be brought to court."

Pro-Palestinian demonstration announced

As the FU had announced, under the current legal situation in Berlin it is not possible to deregister students for regulatory reasons. FU President Günter Ziegler said: “I have the impression that we need to sharpen things up, at least in the tools we have. And that what exists at the moment, a house ban limited to three months, may not be enough for the situations we have.

The science policy spokesman for the CDU parliamentary group in the Berlin House of Representatives, Adrian Grasse, wants to campaign for the reinstatement of regulatory law. It was suspended in 2021 by the red-green-red state government. The instrument of exmatriculation is needed to protect Jewish students and to make it clear that anti-Semitism has no place at our universities.

The federal government's anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, told the Tagesspiegel that the university management was far too tolerant and left too much uncommented. Among other things, a lecture hall occupation by a group called “FU Students for a Free Palestine” caused a stir in December.

The Free University (FU) is currently hosting a rally entitled “Solidarity with Palestine”. A private person registered 100 participants for Thursday in front of the university's large cafeteria, said a police spokeswoman. When asked by the dpa, the FU initially left the question of how the FU wanted to deal with the registered demo open. The university has been criticized from several quarters since the attack on Shapira.

Lahav Shapira apparently robbed in the hospital

Lior Steiner from the Berlin Jewish Student Association told the RBB that as soon as Israel's right to exist is denied and clearly anti-Semitic messages are conveyed to the outside world, this no longer has anything to do with freedom of expression. Several student associations are calling for, among other things, the exclusion and ban of anti-Semitic and extremist groups on campus.

Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) called on universities to take consistent action. Anti-Semitism must have clear consequences, she told the Germany editorial network. “University management must therefore make use of all the options to which they are legally entitled.”

Meanwhile, the injured Lahav Shapira has apparently been robbed in the hospital, as his brother, the comedian Shahak Shapira, reported on the X platform. So far, there is apparently no evidence of an act specifically directed against him; a total of three people were robbed, the hospital said.

bbr/dpa