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ANTI-SEMITISM

Germany’s Scholz joins call to ‘protect Jews’ amid rising anti-Semitism

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) has called on people in Germany to "protect Jews" in the face of anti-Semitic incidents, which have also slowed down a citizenship reform which was set to be discussed this week.

Published: 6 November 2023 16:26 CET

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz underlined the importance of tackling anti-Semitism on Sunday, October 22nd, and has spoken out against the issue to several German media outlets. (Photo by Hendrik Schmidt / POOL / AFP)

“Anyone who attacks Jews in Germany is attacking us all. That’s why we should all stand up for the protection of Jews in Germany, it’s about civil courage,” Scholz told the Mannheimer Morgen newspaper on Monday.

He added that the German state protects all Jewish institutions.

“We will not accept anti-Semitism. We have crystal-clear laws: it is a criminal offence to burn Israeli flags. It is a criminal offence to cheer the death of innocent people. It is a criminal offence to shout anti-Semitic slogans,” Scholz continued.

He added that law enforcement authorities have a duty to punish such offences.

“They have the necessary tools and must use them consistently.”

Incidents at pro-Palestinian demonstrations

Recently there has been an increase in pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Germany as a result of the Israel-Gaza war.

Following the demonstrations at the weekend alone, the police are investigating various cases of suspected incitement to hatred against Jews, regardless of their stance or support of Israel’s government.

At a rally in Essen on Friday evening, banners were displayed calling for the establishment of an Islamist caliphate, among other things.

In Berlin, the police counted 9,000 participants at a rally, though protest organisers thought there were be up to three times as many.

Officers there made dozens of reports, but spoke of a “mostly peaceful” demonstration.

Demand to stop the citizenship reform

CDU leader Friedrich Merz called on Germany’s coalition government to stop its planned reform of the citizenship law.

He said on the ARD programme “Bericht aus Berlin” on Sunday that the possibility of naturalisation after just three years instead of the current minimum of five years was absurd in view of the current situation, and that the government needed to take a closer look at who should be naturalised.

“If we take this approach to citizenship law, then we shouldn’t be surprised at further demonstrations of this kind.”

Amid heated debate, the government indefinitely postponed their planned November 9th discussion about the citizenship reform.

With the new citizenship law, the German government wants to introduce shorter minimum periods of residence for naturalisation – instead of eight years, five years are to be sufficient, or even just three in the case of special integration achievements.

The law already stipulates that people who have committed criminal offences for anti-Semitic or racist reasons will not be eligible for a German passport. Another prerequisite should be the ability to earn a living without social benefits.

Calls to change freedom of assembly right

The vice-chairman of the FDP in the Bundestag, Konstantin Kuhle, told Die Welt that nobody should abuse the fundamental right of freedom of assembly to support terror and violence, spread anti-Semitic slogans or commit criminal offences.

In the event of such findings, “all possibilities under assembly law up to and including the banning of an assembly” must be utilised.

“If criminal offences are committed on the fringes of gatherings, all measures under immigration law up to and including deportation must be used in the case of people without a German passport,” said Kuhle.

Thorsten Frei (CDU), Parliamentary Secretary of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group, added: “The fact that extremists are proclaiming a caliphate on our streets and displaying open hatred of Jews must have consequences.”

What is needed is “not only a consistent, but above all a swift response from the constitutional state”.

Germany’s Commissioner for Anti-Semitism, Felix Klein, called for greater focus to be placed on anti-Semitism among the Arab and Turkish population.

“Around 23.8 million people with a migration background lived in Germany last year, some of them for decades, and many were born here,” he told the Funke media group newspapers on Monday

“The anti-Israel aggression in everyday life, at demonstrations and on the internet in recent days has shown that it is all too easy to activate anti-Semitic attitudes among some members of this population group of Arab origin.”

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Tehran reacted in fury, summoning Germany’s ambassador to Iran to condemn Berlin’s “hostile action” which it branded as a “clear example of Islamophobia”.

Germany’s Interior Ministry accused the centre of presenting itself as a purely religious organisation with no political agenda, but said its probe has found the contrary to be true.

In a statement, the ministry said that it “banned the Hamburg Islamic Centre and its affiliated organisations throughout Germany to date, as it is an Islamist extremist organisation pursuing anti-constitutional objectives”.

Accusing the group of being a “direct representative of Iran’s supreme leader”, the ministry said the centre spreads Tehran’s ideology “in an aggressive and militant manner”.

It is allegedly seeking to “establish authoritarian, theocratic rule” in place of a democracy, said the ministry, accusing the centre of backing the “military and political dimension” of organisations like Hezbollah.

It is also believed to propagate anti-Semitism, something that Germany has been battling to stem amid a jump in cases following Israel’s war in Gaza, launched in response to a deadly attack by Hamas militants on Israeli soil.

Investigators raided 53 properties allegedly linked to the centre across Germany on Wednesday, and the ban will also be imposed on several organisations related to the Hamburg centre — including four Shiite mosques.

“I want to make it very clear: We are not taking action against a religion,” said Interior Minister Nancy Faeser.

“We are drawing a clear distinction between the Islamist extremists that we are cracking down on and the many Muslims who belong to our country and live according to their faith.

“This ban absolutely does not apply to the peaceful practice of the Shiite religion,” she stressed.

Police vans and trucks outside of the Blue Mosque in Hamburg, which was raided by police on Wednesday morning. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Bockwoldt

‘Outpost’ of Iran

Germany considers Hezbollah a “Shiite terrorist organisation” and in 2020 banned Hezbollah from carrying out activities on its soil.

The Hamburg Islamic Centre runs the Imam Ali Mosque, also known as the Blue Mosque, and calls have grown in recent years for authorities to close it down because of its alleged links to Iran.

Blasting Berlin over its decision, Iran’s foreign ministry said “what happened in Germany today is a clear example of Islamophobia and a confrontation to the teachings of the Abrahamic religions”.

The ministry hailed “valuable and unforgettable services of Islamic centres, including the Hamburg Islamic Centre, in explaining the religious teachings of Islam, promoting the principle of dialogue and religious tolerance, as well as combating extremism.”

Founded by Iranian immigrants in 1953, the Hamburg Islamic Centre had already been under surveillance by domestic intelligence for some time.

In November, investigators had conducted sweeping raids of its premises and other related sites across seven of Germany’s 16 states.

“Extensive evidence” that was secured then had “confirmed suspicions sufficiently to order today’s ban” of the group, said the interior ministry.

The regional government of Hamburg welcomed the decision, with interior minister of the state Andy Grote saying the “closure of this outpost of the Iranian inhumane regime is a real blow against Islamist extremism”.