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Felix Klein: Federal Government Commissioner for Jewish Life in Germany and the Fight against Anti-Semitism
Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa
In view of the large-scale attack on Israel by the radical Palestinian organization Hamas, the Federal Government Commissioner for Anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, has warned of attacks on Jewish institutions in Germany. "We know from the recent past that if Israel is attacked by the anti-Semitic terrorist organization Hamas, the danger for Jews in Germany also increases," Klein told the editorial network Germany (RND). Israel-related anti-Semitism in Germany is "not a gray theory, but a real danger," he said.
In the RND newspapers, Klein praised the nationwide strengthening of security precautions for Jewish and Israeli institutions. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) said on Saturday that the protection of Jews in Germany had "the highest priority" in view of the large-scale attack by Hamas. Her ministry had "reacted immediately" and all security agencies had been "sensitized".
In the report, the anti-Semitism commissioner sharply condemned reports of people in Berlin's Neukölln district celebrating the Hamas attacks on the streets and distributing sweets. "As a society, we cannot tolerate such a disgusting glorification of violence against Jews," he said.
The Berlin police said in the evening on the online service X (formerly Twitter) that a "spontaneous assembly" in the area of Sonnenallee had been broken up shortly after it began due to "repeated exclamations hostile to Israel and glorifying violence." Police officers were on site and documented the events for prosecution, it said. In addition, they take the personal details of the people who "refused to leave despite the dissolution of the assembly".
wit/AFP