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‘Shoot Jews or Hand Them Over to Hamas!’: Antisemitic Demonstration, Police Inaction in Berlin Spark Outrage

Supporters of Hamas gather in Berlin. Photo: Reuters/M. Golejewski
Participants in an anti-Israel and antisemitic demonstration in Germany this past weekend called for Jews to be executed or handed over to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, sparking outrage among German leaders.
Under the slogan “Hands off the West Bank,” protesters, mostly of Arab descent, marched through Berlin from Alexanderplatz to Potsdamer Platz on Saturday, German media reported.
“Anyone with a weapon should use it to shoot Jews or hand them over to Hamas!” the marchers chanted loudly several times, according to the German tabloid newspaper Bild. Up to 280 activists reportedly participated in the demonstration.
„Wer eine Waffe hat, soll damit Juden erschießen oder sie der Hamas übergeben“ – lautstark und ungeniert skandiert. Empört sich die Politik? Gehen die „Guten“ jetzt auf die Straße? Oder bleibt der antifaschistische Kampf wieder selektiv?
pic.twitter.com/00T4nj2tlL— Ahmad Mansour
(@AhmadMansour__) February 1, 2025
In response, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner is now pushing for an initiative to potentially ban protests that incite violence.
“If a movement consistently promotes violence and hatred, the Berlin police will consider banning these protests,” Wegner told Bild. “Inciting hatred and calling for terrorism are not acts of free speech, but criminal offenses. The safety and protection of Jews are my highest priority.”
“When I hear such misanthropic and antisemitic slogans at the demonstrations in Berlin, it deeply shocks me,” Wegner continued. “In this instance, the police and judiciary of Berlin will take action against the alleged offenders with the full force of the rule of law.”
On Saturday, however, it appears that law enforcement did little to intervene.
According to the Berlin police, the demonstration on Saturday involved “statements potentially punishable by law for supporting terrorist organizations banned in Germany.”
Police are currently reviewing the footage of the protest, with the documentation being handled by the State Security Service.
“Due to language barriers and the level of noise associated with the event, a clear translation could not be made for an immediate assessment,” the police said in a post on X/Twitter.
Bei einer Versammlung in #Mitte kam es heute Abend zu möglicherweise strafbaren Ausrufen für in Deutschland verbotene Terrororganisationen. Aufgrund der Sprachbarrieren und der mit dem Aufzugsgeschehen einhergehenden Lautstärke konnte nicht an allen Stellen eine durchgängige… pic.twitter.com/zn5jnVVqom
— Polizei Berlin (@polizeiberlin) February 1, 2025
According to Bild, only three individuals were temporarily detained to confirm their identities, and two defamation complaints have been filed so far.
Peter Langer, secretary general of the center-right Berlin Free Democratic Party (FDP), condemned the weekend demonstration, stressing that the police should be given the authority to quickly disperse protests that essentially promote terrorist propaganda.
“Kai Wegner must finally turn his grand words into actions,” Langer said. “I expect him to present a concrete plan on how they intend to stop this issue.”
Last year, Berlin experienced a record number of antisemitic incidents, with the total for the first six months of 2024 exceeding the entire count for 2023.
Germany’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS) documented 1,383 antisemitic incidents in Berlin from January to June, averaging nearly eight per day.
The figure compiled by RIAS, a federally-funded body, was a significant increase from the 1,270 antisemitic outrages tallied in 2023 and the highest count for a single year since RIAS began monitoring antisemitic incidents in 2015.
Of the 1,383 incidents documented in the first half of last year, two were cases of “extreme violence,” another 23 were attacks (six of which were against children), and 37 were targeted acts of property damage, including 21 acts involving memorials.
Like many countries around the world, Germany has seen a major spike in antisemitic incidents following Hamas’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
During the Oct. 7 onslaught, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists killed 1,200 people, wounded thousands more, and took 251 hostages to Gaza while committing widespread sexual violence, making it the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust.
The post ‘Shoot Jews or Hand Them Over to Hamas!’: Antisemitic Demonstration, Police Inaction in Berlin Spark Outrage first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Germany’s Scholz Rebukes Vance, Defends Europe’s Stance on Hate Speech and Far Right

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks to the media after he met former prisoners following the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and the West in decades, at the military area of Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany, August 1, 2024. Photo: Christoph Reichwein/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz delivered a strong rebuke on Saturday to US Vice President JD Vance’s attack on Europe’s stance toward hate speech and the far right, saying it was not right for others to tell Germany and Europe what to do.
Vance lambasted European leaders on Friday, the first day of the Munich Security Conference, accusing them of censoring free speech and criticizing German mainstream parties’ “firewall” against the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
“That is not appropriate, especially not among friends and allies. We firmly reject that,” Scholz told the conference on Saturday, adding there were “good reasons” not to work with the AfD.
The anti-immigration party, currently polling at around 20% ahead of Germany’s February 23 national election, has pariah status among other major German parties in a country with a taboo about ultranationalist politics because of its Nazi past.
“Never again fascism, never again racism, never again aggressive war. That is why an overwhelming majority in our country opposes anyone who glorifies or justifies criminal National Socialism,” Scholz said, referring to the ideology of Adolf Hitler’s 1933-45 Nazi regime.
Vance met on Friday with the leader of AfD, after endorsing the party as a political partner — a stance Berlin dismissed as unwelcome election interference.
Referring more broadly to Vance’s criticism of Europe’s curtailing of hate speech, which he has likened to censorship, Scholz said: “Today’s democracies in Germany and Europe are founded on the historic awareness and realization that democracies can be destroyed by radical anti-democrats.
“And this is why we’ve created institutions that ensure that our democracies can defend themselves against their enemies, and rules that do not restrict or limit our freedom but protect it.”
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot added his voice to the defense of Europe’s stance on hate speech.
“No one is required to adopt our model but no one can impose theirs on us,” Barrot said on X from Munich. “Freedom of speech is guaranteed in Europe.”
UKRAINE
The prospect of talks to end the Ukraine-Russia war had been expected to dominate the annual Munich conference after a phone call between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin this week, but Vance barely mentioned Russia or Ukraine in his speech to the gathering on Friday.
Instead, he said the threat to Europe that worried him most was not Russia or China but what he called a retreat from fundamental values of protecting free speech – as well as immigration, which he said was “out of control” in Europe.
Many conference delegates watched Vance’s speech in stunned silence. There was little applause as he delivered his remarks.
Asked by the panel moderator if he thought there was anything in Vance’s speech worth reflecting on, Scholz drew laughter and applause in the crowd when he responded, in a deadpan manner: “You mean all these very relevant discussions about Ukraine and security in Europe?”
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Trump Team to Start Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia in Coming Days, Politico Reports

US Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) speaks on Day 1 of the Republican National Convention (RNC) at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US, July 15, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
Senior officials from US President Donald Trump’s administration will start peace talks with Russian and Ukrainian negotiators in Saudi Arabia in the coming days, Politico reported on Saturday, citing sources familiar with the plan.
US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia, the report said. Special envoy for Ukraine-Russia talks, Keith Kellogg, will not be in attendance, according to the report.
The post Trump Team to Start Russia-Ukraine Peace Talks in Saudi Arabia in Coming Days, Politico Reports first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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UN Peacekeeping Mission Deputy Commander Injured After Convoy Attacked in Beirut

FILE PHOTO: A UN peacekeepers (UNIFIL) vehicle is seen next to piled up debris at Beirut’s port, Lebanon October 23, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
The outgoing deputy force commander of the United Nations Interim Force (UNIFIL) in Lebanon was injured on Friday after a convoy taking peacekeepers to Beirut airport was “violently attacked,” UNIFIL said.
The mission demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice, it said in a statement.
Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun condemned the attack on Saturday, saying that security forces would not tolerate anyone who tries to destabilize the country, according to a statement from his office.
The French government also condemned the attack.
“France calls on the Lebanese security forces to guarantee the security of blue-helmet peacekeeping forces, and calls on Lebanon’s judicial authorities to shed all light on this unacceptable attack and to go after those responsible,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Lebanon’s Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar called for an emergency meeting before noon on Saturday to discuss the security situation, Lebanese state news agency NNA reported.
“He affirmed the Lebanese government’s rejection of this assault that is considered a crime against UNIFIL forces,” NNA reported, citing the minister.
He also gave instructions to work on identifying the perpetrators and referring them to the relevant judicial authorities.
The minister told reporters on Saturday that more than 25 people had been detained for investigation over the attack.
The United States earlier condemned the attack. A State Department statement said the attack was carried out “reportedly by a group of Hezbollah supporters”, referring to the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.
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