By Deborah COLE
BERLIN, Oct 18, 2023 (AFP) – Chancellor Olaf Scholz vowed to fight anti-Semitism on German soil, after attackers hurled two Molotov cocktails at a Jewish synagogue in Berlin early Wednesday.
Police in the German capital said they were probing the attack in the Mitte district of the city. There were no reports of injuries or damage.
The attack, at around 3:45am (0145 GMT), comes amid a sharp increase in anti-Semitic incidents in the wake of the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
“Two unidentified people came on foot and threw two burning bottles filled with liquid in the direction of the synagogue on Brunnenstrasse,” a commercial and residential street, police said in a statement.
“The bottles landed on the pavement and broke, extinguishing the fire.”
As the masked assailants ran away, round-the-clock security forces stationed outside noticed a “small fire” where the attackers had been standing and were able to put it out, “preventing further consequences”.
While police were investigating at around 8:00 am, a 30-year-old man on an e-scooter stopped outside the synagogue and tried to approach the building.
When police moved in to stop him, he resisted and began shouting anti-Israel slogans.
Police said they released the man but have opened a probe against him on charges of incitement of racial hatred and an attempted attack on an officer.
The building belongs to Kahal Adass Jisroel, which calls itself as “a growing Jewish community in the heart of Berlin”.
On social media, it described the target of the attack as a “community centre” and confirmed that “people and the building, fortunately, were unharmed”.
– ‘Despicable’ –
Without addressing the incident specifically, Scholz posted a message on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, condemning anti-Jewish hatred.
“Attacks against Jewish institutions, violent riots on our streets — this is inhumane, disgusting and cannot be tolerated,” said Scholz on a trip to Egypt.
“Anti-Semitism has no place in Germany. My thanks go to the security forces, especially in this situation.”
A police union and local media reported clashes between demonstrators and police late Tuesday at pro-Palestinian rallies in Berlin, which have been largely banned since Hamas’s deadly October 7 attack on Israel.
The Israeli embassy in Berlin condemned the incidents, calling for German authorities to address anti-Semitic attacks with “unwavering severity”.
“This is a defining moment for any democracy: whether we stand with those who fight terror, radicalism, and barbaric entities or we remain silent, enabling the sheer evil perpetrated by terrorists and their supporters — be it in the Middle East or at the heart of Europe,” it said.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said the protection of Jewish institutions in Germany had “the highest priority”, calling the attempted firebombing a “despicable act”.
Scholz had last week called on his compatriots to show solidarity with the country’s Jewish population and guarantee their safety, condemning incidents at pro-Palestinian rallies.
Germany has stepped up protection at Jewish institutions across the country, citing its solemn responsibility for Jewish life since the Holocaust.
Even before the latest turmoil in the Middle East, Germany in May reported a new record in the number of politically motivated crimes last year, including a nearly 29-percent jump in anti-Semitic crimes to 3,027.
The vast majority of the offences — 2,552 — were attributed to the far-right scene.
