Berlin Police Chief Barbara Slowik advised Jewish citizens and openly gay people to “be more careful” in certain neighborhoods with a large Arab majority.
“There are areas in which I would recommend people who wear a yarmulke – the little cap worn by Jews – or who are openly homosexual, to be more careful,” he told the German newspaper. Berliner Zeitung.
Slowik not only asked them to be more careful, but also warned of the sympathy that there could be in these regions with “terrorist groups”without specifying which ones.
“Unfortunately, there are certain neighborhoods in which there is a majority of Arab origin who also have sympathy for terrorist groups. Anti-Semitism is expressed there against people of faith and Jewish origin,” he said. he added.
The police chief of the German capital assured that since October 7, 2023, some 6,200 surveysalthough the majority did so through social media posts or graffiti. 1,300 of these investigations involve violent incidents, but the majority were against the police.
“The number of crimes against Jewish citizens is weak“Fortunately,” he said, “I am, however, very concerned that the Israeli Jewish community in Berlin is afraid of being the target of attacks,” he said.
Slowik’s statements come days after a Jewish youth soccer team was chased by Arab youths after a match. The match took place in Neukölln, a district of the German capital known for its large Arab and Turkish population.
The attackers shouted “Free Palestine” and “cursed Jews” as they threatened them with knives and sticks. The police are already investigating what happened.
At the beginning of November, a fan of Mecca Berlin who was wearing the club’s scarf (which has the Star of David on its logo) was punched and had to be taken to hospital.
