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Participants in a counter-rally hold Israeli flags on the sidelines of the pro-Palestinian rally under the motto “Solidarity with Palestine” in front of Mensa II at the Free University (FU).
© Monika Skolimowska/dpa
The case is making headlines.
A pro-Palestinian student is said to have beaten a Jewish fellow student until he was hospitalized.
The public prosecutor's office assumes anti-Semitism.
Berlin - The Berlin public prosecutor's office assumes that the attack on a Jewish student at the Free University of Berlin (FU) was a targeted act.
The investigators currently classify the case as anti-Semitic and at the same time assume there is a connection with the Middle East conflict, as an authority spokesman said on Thursday.
From the prosecutor's perspective, 30-year-old Lahav Shapira was targeted as a representative of a specific group of people because of their attributed political stance, attitude or commitments.
The incident is therefore classified as a hate crime.
Shapira was hospitalized over the weekend with broken bones in her face.
A 23-year-old pro-Palestinian fellow student is said to have beaten him to the point of hospitalization in the nightlife district in Berlin-Mitte.
According to the spokesman, the public prosecutor's office is investigating the FU student with German nationality for dangerous bodily harm.
The attack is said to have been preceded by a short verbal interaction, so that the physical altercation was actually sudden for the injured party, according to the spokesman.
The police initially spoke of an escalated argument between the two students.
The case is making waves.
Several parties had called for the student in question to be expelled.
According to the FU, this is not possible in Berlin for legal reasons in such cases.
Prime Minister Kai Wegner (CDU) explained on Wednesday that universities needed instruments so that they could act consistently and quickly.
“If this requires a change to the Higher Education Act, we will talk about it in the coalition.”
On Thursday, two groups from different camps met in front of the FU cafeteria.
According to police, around 85 people demonstrated under the title “Solidarity with Palestine”.
There were around 25 counter-demonstrators.
According to their own statements, they wanted to take a stand against anti-Semitism, and some of them had Israeli flags with them.
Initially, the police were aware of “no significant incidents”.
As the event progressed, a dpa reporter observed an increasingly heated atmosphere.
dpa