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Participants in a silent protest gathered in front of the Free University of Berlin.
© Christoph Soeder/dpa
The attack on FU student Lahav Shapira is fueling a political debate.
The Science Senator is no longer suitable for her position, says Central Council President Schuster.
Berlin - In the dispute over the consequences of the attack on a Jewish student, the Central Council of Jews has recommended that Berlin's Science Senator Ina Czyborra (SPD) resign.
“I am convinced that Ms. Czyborra is no longer suitable for her office,” Central Council President Josef Schuster told the “Tagesspiegel” on Friday.
Schuster particularly criticized the fact that the senator initially saw no reason to change the Berlin Higher Education Act.
However, the President of the Free University asked politicians that in extreme cases such as the anti-Semitic attack, universities should again be given the opportunity to deregister the perpetrators.
The Jewish FU student Lahav Shapira was hospitalized last weekend with broken bones in his face.
A 23-year-old pro-Palestinian fellow student is said to have hit and kicked him on a street in Berlin-Mitte.
The public prosecutor's office assumes a targeted attack and an anti-Semitic background.
The case has been shaking up the city for days and is also putting the management of the FU under pressure.
According to the Anti-Semitism Research and Information Center (Rias), this is a case of “anti-Semitic extreme violence”, but not an isolated case.
“The Shapira case has a very high media significance, also because it follows a situation at the university of both parties involved,” said Berlin Rias project manager Benjamin Steinitz to the German Press Agency.
“But in the logic that Jews are collectively associated with Israel and are openly hostile to it, this case does not stand out.”
Since Hamas' terrorist attack on Israel on October 7th, there have already been twelve attacks and another case of extreme violence in Berlin.
“There are a lot of them,” said Steinitz.
“In 2022, we documented 21 attacks and one case of extreme violence throughout the year.” Rias speaks of extreme violence when violent perpetrators risk serious damage to the victim’s health or even the death.
On Friday, according to police, around 100 people came to a silent protest at the FU and pointed out that Jewish students were often worried about their safety.
Among the participants were the Green Party leader Ricarda Lang, the former Green Party politician Volker Beck and the CDU politician Ottilie Klein.
There were no incidents or counter-demonstrators.
Green Party leader Lang said on the sidelines of the vigil that it was “a signal against looking the other way.”
It is important to act consistently and permanently against all types of anti-Semitism.
Beck, now president of the German-Israeli Society, called on politicians to take action.
It must be legally possible to deregister violent criminals if necessary.
Central Council President Schuster had also spoken out in favor of such an expulsion of the alleged perpetrator.
However, this is not possible under the current legal situation.
The Higher Education Act stipulates a maximum of a three-month house ban.
That is why there is now a debate as to whether the law needs to be tightened up.
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Science Senator Czyborra initially rejected calls for tougher rules or exmatriculation and called for sobriety in the debate.
On Thursday, the Senate Chancellery published a joint press release with Berlin's Governing Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU).
In it, Czyborra appeared open to “additional, far-reaching instruments”.
FU President Günter Ziegler said on Friday on rbb's radioeins that it was not easy to get the current conflict at the university under control.
Hatred and agitation are unacceptable and do not belong at the university, said Ziegler.
“With all the measures we have in place, we must primarily keep safety on campus in mind.”
The Middle East conflict is also causing tensions at other universities.
On Thursday evening, a joint event between the Humboldt University and the Hertie School, to which an Israeli constitutional judge was invited, was canceled.
According to the universities, pro-Palestinian activists gave a protest speech and permanently disrupted the panel discussion.
dpa