Neo-Nazis attack kosher restaurant, shouting ‘Get out of Germany you Jewish pig’
Gang allegedly carried out attack amid heightened political tensions, after a Syrian and Iraqi were detained as suspects in the killing of a 35-year-old German man 24 hours earlier
A gang of neo-Nazis allegedly attacked a Jewish restaurant, while shouting to the occupants, “Get out of Germany you Jewish pig.”
German newspaper Die Welt am Sonntag reported the incident on Saturday, which states the attack took place last month, in the aftermath of violent right-wing protests, which have been taking place in Chemnitz.
The story claims approximately a dozen masked individuals threw bottles and stones, before attacking the Schalom restaurant on 27 August, causing damage to the outside of the building and breaking a window.
While carrying out the attack, they allegedly shouted “Get out of Germany you Jewish pig.” Uwe Dziuballa, the owner of the restaurant, was injured. German authorities are investigating the incident.
Germany’s new commissioner against anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, told the newspaper that the incident appeared to represent a turn for the worse in anti-Semitic crimes. “It is reminiscent of our worst recollections of the 1930s,” he said.
Charlotte Knobloch, head of the Jewish community of Munich and Bavaria, said in a statement on the eve of the Jewish New Year that the violent anti-migrant demonstrations in Chemnitz were already a wake-up call for the government and society.
“The fact that there was also a violent attack on the restaurant Schalom and its owner is shocking and underscores the urgency of resolute action against anti-democratic forces,” added Knobloch, who survived the Holocaust in hiding with a Christian family in Germany.
Dziuballa told die Welt he has often been subjected to anti-Semitic incidents, such as having swastikas painted on his storefront and pig heads left at the door. He nevertheless continues to keep the restaurant open.
Levi Salomon, JFDA speaker, said in a statement that it was “outrageous that a masked mob in Chemnitz is attacking the city’s only Jewish restaurant, shouting anti-Semitic slogans, and we are not hearing about the case until days later.”
The JFDA added that the Saxony state office of criminal investigation assured them that “nothing was concealed” and that they did not always publicize individual cases under investigation.
A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry said the incident “suggests at present a politically motivated crime with an anti-Semitic background.”
The protests – which have seen far-right groups fight with police and chased people they deem to be migrants in Chemnitz – have been taking place, following an incident on 26 August – 24 hours prior to the attack on the Jewish restaurant – where a Syrian and Iraqi had been detained as suspects in the killing of a 35-year-old German man.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has accused the far-right group, Alternative for Germany (AfD) of using violent protests over a fatal stabbing blamed on migrants to stir up ethnic tension.
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