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Mainz (dpa / lrs) - A new guide is intended to sharpen the senses of police officers, public prosecutors and judges in Rhineland-Palatinate for anti-Semitic crimes.

For example, according to the Ministry of Justice, perpetrators can choose high Jewish holidays, birthdays or deaths of Nazi leaders or local proximity to Jewish institutions for their actions, which is not always immediately obvious.

The anti-Semitic scene can therefore use certain codes and ciphers.

According to the Ministry of Justice in Mainz on Tuesday, the public prosecutor's offices in Koblenz and Zweibrücken, in coordination with the anti-Semitism commissioner of the state government, Dieter Burgard, created the guide «Recognizing anti-Semitic crimes».

Justice Minister Herbert Mertin (FDP) emphasized: "In 2019, Rhineland-Palatinate public prosecutors conducted a total of 73 preliminary investigations into criminal offenses with an anti-Semitic background - every single act is one too many."

The perpetrators must be clear: "Regardless of whether in the analog world or on the Internet - we will pursue the prosecution with great emphasis!"

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Burgard added: "Anti-Semitism not only threatens Jews, it concerns us all because it is a challenge to our basic values."

With the twelve-page guideline, "the fight against anti-Semitic crimes will be significantly strengthened and a clear signal will be set against exclusion, intolerance and misanthropy".

The chairman of the regional association of the Jewish communities of Rhineland-Palatinate, Avadislav Avadiev, welcomed the new handout.

Anti-Semitism has increased significantly.

"When I came to Germany about 25 years ago, I couldn't imagine it," he told the German press agency.

In Rhineland-Palatinate, too, many Jewish events have long had to be protected by the police.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210126-99-175235 / 2