The Berlin police chief has urged Jews and LGBTQ individuals to exercise caution in Muslim-Arab neighborhoods of the German capital amid rising antisemitism and hate crimes.
The very direct recommendation less than eight decades after the Holocaust comes at a time when antisemitism has burst out in the open throughout Europe, especially in countries with a large Muslim immigrant population, in the wake of the 13-month war against Hamas in Gaza.
“There are no so-called ‘no-go areas,’ meaning areas that are too dangerous to enter,” Berlin Police President Barbara Slowik said in an interview on Monday with the Berliner Zeitung daily. “However there are areas, and we must be honest at this stage, where I would advise people who wear a kippah or are openly homosexuals or lesbians to be more attentive.”
While stressing that she did not mean to make generalizations or “defame” any particular group or communities, Slowik highlighted the tensions that exist in the European country that is now home to some 5.5 million Muslims, a million of them who immigrated over the last decade, who make up about 6.6% of the total population.
“Unfortunately, there are certain neighborhoods where predominantly Arab-descended people live, who also have sympathies for terrorist groups,” and where “open antisemitism is articulated there against people of Jewish faith and origin,” she said.
Since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre, Berlin police have launched investigations into 6,200 antisemitic incidents, including physical assaults, online hate speech and attacks on police during pro-Palestinain protests. The number of antisemitic incidents recorded in the German capital shot up 50% compared to the previous year, with two-thirds occurring after Oct. 7.
