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Anti-Israel Protesters Target European Synagogues Amid Escalating Antisemitism Crisis
A pro-Hamas demonstration in Zurich, Switzerland, Oct. 28, 2023. Photo: IMAGO/dieBildmanufaktur via Reuters Connect
Amid a surge in antisemitic incidents across Europe, anti-Israel demonstrators targeted synagogues in Poland and Switzerland over the weekend, heightening fears of further violence following last week’s antisemitic shooting in Washington, DC.
On Saturday, a pro-Hamas demonstration in Bern, the de facto capital of Switzerland, prompted a large-scale police operation and led to violent clashes as officers tried to contain the protest, leaving several police officers injured.
According to Swiss media reports, the march had not been authorized, yet around 2,000 protesters gathered and attempted to reach the city’s historic synagogue.
The demonstration was marked by antisemitic rhetoric and inflammatory chants, including the use of the banned slogan, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” The slogan is popular among anti-Israel activists and has been widely interpreted as a call for the destruction of the Jewish state, which is located between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.
Local law enforcement attempted to contain the violent protesters who were trying to reach the Jewish synagogue, using tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons to bring the situation under control.
During the clashes, five police officers were injured after protesters attacked them with fireworks and hurled objects.
Violent clashes at the Pro Palestinian demonstration today in Bern, Switzerland. According to local reports, the demonstrators were trying to reach a synagogue but were stopped by police, pic.twitter.com/D38dRSMNJI
— Elad Simchayoff (@Elad_Si) May 24, 2025
Michel Ronen, co-chair of the Jewish Community of Bern (JGB), said these latest incidents underscore the increasing threat that Jews are facing nationwide.
“We are deeply concerned about the high potential for violence at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Naturally, this also raises serious concerns within the Jewish community in Bern,” Ronen told the German newspaper Juedische Allgemeine.
“The fact that this radicalized group of protesters was able to get so close to the synagogue is a clear warning about the security risks facing Bern’s Jewish population. We urge the city of Bern to treat this serious threat with the utmost urgency,” he continued.
Jonathan Kreutner, secretary general of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), condemned the fact that “radical pro-Palestinian protesters” were able to get so close to the synagogue on Saturday, expressing his full support for the local Jewish community.
“We strongly support the demand for heightened vigilance and the introduction of concrete, forward-thinking security measures in the city of Bern,” Kreutner said.
In a separate incident, anti-Israel agitators also set their sights on a Polish synagogue.
On Friday, an anti-Israel group burst into a synagogue in Bielsko-Biała — a city in southern Poland — disrupting a private Jewish event with antisemitic slogans, hateful rhetoric, and inflammatory chants.
The event at the historic synagogue in Bielsko-Biała was disrupted when members of a pro-Palestinian group stormed in mid-program, waving flags and shouting over Holocaust survivors taking part in the ceremony.
According to local media, Holocaust survivors and community members were subjected to antisemitic insults and slurs.
Following the incident, event organizers attributed the attack to incitement by members of Poland’s far-left Razem party, calling it “the most blatant act of antisemitism the city has witnessed in decades.”
The post Anti-Israel Protesters Target European Synagogues Amid Escalating Antisemitism Crisis first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Netanyahu Criticizes Nation-Wide Strike That ‘Strengthens Hamas’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday harshly criticized nationwide demonstrations calling for the release of hostages and an end to the Gaza war.
Speaking at a government meeting, Netanyahu argued that such protests only strengthen Hamas and risk repeating the atrocities of October 7.
“Those who call today for an end to Hamas’s war not only harden the terrorist group’s position and delay the release of our hostages, but also guarantee that the horrors of October 7 will be repeated and that we will have to fight an endless war,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister defended Israel’s ongoing military operations, citing strikes carried out in recent days: “In the last 24 hours, the navy attacked power stations in Yemen, IDF soldiers struck Zeitoun and eliminated dozens of terrorists in Gaza, and the air force targeted Hezbollah commanders and launch sites in Lebanon.”
He added that Israel’s response in Lebanon was consistent with the ceasefire agreement: “According to this agreement, we will meet with fire any violation and any attempt to arm Hezbollah.”
Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s conditions for ending the conflict, stressing the need for continued security control in Gaza and the group’s long-term demilitarization. He rejected Hamas’s demand for a full Israeli withdrawal: “They want us to leave Gaza entirely — from the north, the south, the Philadelphi corridor, and the security perimeter. That would only allow them to reorganize, rearm, and attack us again.”
The war has now entered its 681st day, with 49 hostages still held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Israelis joined a general strike organized by the Hostage Families Forum, calling for the return of all captives in a single deal and for an end to the war. Demonstrations spread across the country, at major intersections, government ministers’ homes, and familiar protest hubs such as Kaplan Junction and the Ayalon highways.
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Family Releases Footage of Matan Zangauker in Captivity
A screenshot of a video released by the family of hostage Matan Zangauker.
i24 News – The family of Matan Zangauker, the Israeli hostage held by Hamas since October 7, shared new footage of him from captivity on Sunday evening.
The video, obtained by the IDF, was recorded several months ago.
In the recording, 32-year-old Matan looks directly into the camera, addressing his loved ones: “Tato, Shani, Ilana, I miss you. God willing, we’ll see each other soon. All my friends and acquaintances, go out and make noise like only you know how.”
Matan was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his partner Ilana Gritsievsky, who was released in a hostage deal last year. Since then, Matan has remained in Hamas custody while his family continues to fight for his return.
On the national protest day calling for the release of hostages, Ilana staged a poignant display at Hostages Square. Dressed in a wedding gown beneath a chuppah, she symbolically “married” Matan in his absence. “Matan, my curly-haired one, if you hadn’t been abducted, we could already be married. In a single day, our world was destroyed, and you’re not here to hold me. I’m fighting for you until you come back,” she said.
Matan’s mother, Einav, has emerged as a leading voice in the campaign for the hostages’ release and has sharply criticized Israel’s political leadership, accusing them of undermining potential hostage deals.
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Hamas Rejects Israel’s Gaza Relocation Plan
Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in a tent camp as the Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, in Gaza City August 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Palestinian terrorist group Hamas said on Sunday that Israel’s plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a “new wave of genocide and displacement” for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.
The group said the planned deployment of tents and other shelter equipment by Israel into southern Gaza was a “blatant deception.”
The Israeli military has said it is preparing to provide tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of its plan to relocate residents from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety.”
Hamas said in a statement that the deployment of tents under the guise of humanitarian purposes is a blatant deception intended to “cover up a brutal crime that the occupation forces prepare to execute.”
Israel said earlier this month that it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban center. The plan has raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, which is home to about 2.2 million people.