18 January 2008
Berlin’s mayor Klaus Wowereit and the president of Germany's Jewish community, Charlotte Knobloch, have denounced an attack on five Jewish teenagers by a group of punks in the German capital. The teenagers, aged between 15 and 17, were subjected to anti-Semitic abuse by four punks near the Jewish school they attend, police said. One victim was forced to flee into a nearby bakery after the assailants set their dog on the group, before witnesses could alert the authorities. The four punks were taken into custody and the dog was taken to an animal home.
"This obviously anti-Semitic attack cannot be tolerated," Wowereit said adding “Considering our history, we are happy that Jewish life is again flowering in our midst. It is all the more important to stand up to any form of anti-Semitism, xenophobia and right-wing extremism." Charlotte Knobloch, president of the German Jewish Council, said the attack was "disgusting". "It is known that some members of the punk scene have a high potential for anti-Semitic violence that is fed by anti-Israeli sentiment, but attacking children gives the case an especially reprehensible character.”
