display

Berlin (dpa / bb) - A 74-year-old man has been sentenced to eight months in prison for making anti-Semitic statements.

The senior had stoked hostile positions on the street and incited hatred against Jews, the district court of Berlin-Tiergarten said on Monday.

The man was guilty of sedition.

Because the accused had a relevant criminal record and was “completely unreasonable”, a suspended sentence was no longer an option.

"We are dealing with a man of conviction," said the presiding judge.

According to the judgment, the senior had interfered in a conversation that a passer-by on the lively Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in Berlin-Mitte wanted to have with a demonstrator over the inscription on his sign.

The defendant loudly expressed anti-Semitism, the judge said in the verdict.

"And he repeated it when a witness pulled out his cell phone."

It was "not a slip up".

The 74-year-old had not commented on the allegations.

His defense lawyer had demanded acquittal.

It should be assumed from statements that were covered by freedom of expression.

The prosecutor had asked for a sentence of six months in prison.

The verdict is not yet legally binding.