Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Thousands demonstrate against antisemitism in Berlin as Germany grapples with a rise in incidents

Several thousand people have demonstrated against antisemitism in Berlin as Germany grapples with a large increase in anti-Jewish incidents following Hamas’ attack on Israel two months ago

Via AP news wire
Sunday 10 December 2023 10:40 EST
Germany Israel Palestinians
Germany Israel Palestinians ((c) Copyright 2023, dpa (www.dpa.de). Alle Rechte vorbehalten)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Several thousand people demonstrated against antisemitism in Berlin on Sunday as Germany grapples with a large increase in anti-Jewish incidents following Hamas' attack on Israel two months ago.

Police estimated that around 3,200 people gathered in the rain in the German capital, while organizers put the figure at 10,000, German news agency dpa reported. Participants in the protest, titled “Never again is now,” marched to the Brandenburg Gate.

A group tracking antisemitism in Germany said in late November that it had documented a drastic increase in antisemitic incidents in the month after Hamas' attack - a total of 994, an increase of 320% compared with the same period a year earlier.

Germany's main Jewish leader, Josef Schuster, said that “antisemitism is common practice in Germany in the middle of society,” and called for solidarity with Israel and with Jewish life in Germany.

Germany's labor minister, Hubertus Heil, said that many decent people are too quiet on the issue. “We don't need a decent, silent majority — we need a clear and loud majority that stands up now, and not later,” he said.

The event had wide support, with the speaker of the German parliament and Berlin's mayor also among its backers.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in