From Le Figaro with AFP
Published 1 hour ago, updated 59 minutes ago
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in Berlin, October 25, 2023. MICHELE TANTUSSI / AFP
At the same time, the Bavarian authorities announced searches of the homes of 17 people suspected of inciting anti-Semitism.
On Tuesday, November 21st, the German Interior Minister called on Muslim organizations in Germany to clearly condemn Hamas’ attacks against Israel on October 7th and at the same time to warn against any anti-Muslim racism. “I expect Muslim organizations to take a clear position and assume responsibility in society,” said Nancy Faeser. “It must be clear that we stand with Israel,” she added.
However, the minister warned: The debate against anti-Semitism must not be misused for the purposes of anti-Muslim racism. “We must leave no room for those who make Muslims the cause of all evil,” warned Nancy Faeser. “Those who today are creating an anti-Muslim climate under the pretext of combating anti-Semitism want to divide us and not unite us,” emphasized the minister.
Israel-Hamas war
Nancy Faeser spoke at the opening of a two-day conference in Berlin attended by representatives of the German government, the country’s Muslim organizations, representatives of the Jewish community and churches. The fight against anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim racism are the main topics of this meeting, which presents itself as a space for “dialogue” in a tense context in Germany, as elsewhere in Europe, due to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
According to the Conference of German Islam, a cooperation organization between the federal government and Muslim organizations, around 5.5 million people of Muslim faith live in Germany, half of whom have German citizenship. Muslims make up 6.6% of the country’s population, making them the second largest religious group, behind Christians (all churches combined), who make up 45 million, or half of Germany’s population.
Search in Bavaria
On the same day, southern Bavarian authorities announced searches of the homes of seventeen people suspected of inciting anti-Semitism. The searches, which did not result in arrests, took place as part of a day of action against anti-Semitism, which aimed to show “clearly” that incitement to hatred against Jews “is not a minor offense” and to “deter potential agitators from doing so,” said Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Hermann.
The suspects, two women and fifteen men between the ages of 18 and 62, are accused of spreading anti-Semitic content on the Internet. An investigation was then initiated for “incitement to hatred, endorsement of criminal acts and use of unconstitutional symbols”. on the Internet and in social networks, said the criminal police and the Munich public prosecutor’s office.
“Gas the Jews”
They live in Munich and Nuremberg and were particularly active in a WhatsApp discussion group for school classes. For example, the phrase “Gas the Jews” was broadcast. “Jewish sons” deserve nothing other than to be “massacred and exterminated,” another suspect posted on his social media account. The police confiscated cell phones and computers, the analysis of which could make it possible to “find new ways to identify other perpetrators of (anti-Semitic) acts,” said the minister.
Germany, where Israel’s security is considered a “reason of state” due to the country’s historical responsibility for the Holocaust, has one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe. The government estimates the number at around 200,000 people, including around 100,000 practitioners. Earlier this month, Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised Jews that they would “never again” suffer from anti-Semitism in Germany as he commemorated the 85th anniversary of Kristallnacht, a night of anti-Jewish pogroms under the Nazis.
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