Germany: Assault of non-Jew by Gazan, Lebanese men in Berlin was antisemitic

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PEOPLE PROTEST in Berlin outside Humboldt University in support of Israel and against antisemitism, in October. The charge that Israel is perpetrating a genocide is culturally rooted, springing from antisemitic tropes, Cold War politics, and settler-colonial academic theory, insists the writer. (photo credit: REUTERS)



Two men, one from Gaza and the other from Lebanon, were charged for a February antisemitic attack against a non-Jewish man in Berlin, the Berlin State Prosecutor's Office announced on Friday. The man was reportedly attacked based on the perception of his religious identity, and the attackers are said to have chanted "he should die because he is a Jew" as they carried out the assault.

The two men were charged with "dangerous bodily harm," the prosecutor confirmed, citing what they described as a “withdrawal from the intent to kill,” which under German law exempts the accused from a more severe charge.

The two accused reportedly approached the victim along with several yet-unidentified individuals and struck the 37-year-old man repeatedly in the head and upper body. Despite the chants, the victim was not Jewish, as clarified by the prosecutor's office.