Around 1,000 pupils and left-wing activists who unlawfully occupied Humboldt University in the German capital Berlin and some of whom destroyed an anti-Nazi exhibition were reacting to the university's close ties to Israel, the university president has said. Christoph Markschies told the 'Jerusalem Post' that one of the protesters in the lobby of the university said "Damn Israel" when asked by another student to stop vandalizing the exhibit 'Betrayed and Sold' about the plundering of Jewish businesses under the Nazis. "Friendship with Israel is part of the Humboldt University's identity," said Markschies, adding that "no one can tell me that the exhibit was damaged because it was a mistake."
Markschies had to barricade himself in his office to escape what he called "the mob." He said that "HU was directly targeted" because of its solid partnership with Israel. The university is repairing the damaged displays and plans to remount the exhibition. Lee Hielscher, a spokesman for a pupil association that participated in the demonstration in Berlin, told the 'Jerusalem Post' that he was investigating the eyewitness reports from the protest. He said the vandalism and alleged statement were not driven by anti-Semitism, but that the expression "Damn Israel" highlights the "problems of the State of Israel."