Berlin, Germany – A wave of antisemitism has swept across several top universities in Germany, sparking outrage among the Jewish and Israeli expat community. Authorities’ lax reaction to these disturbing incidents has only deepened the controversy.
At the Free University (FU) in Berlin, a German-Arab student assaulted Lahav Shapira, the grandson of a victim of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. Shapira, a student at the university, was attacked at a bar after putting up a poster with the faces of the Israeli hostages on the campus. The violent encounter left Shapira hospitalized with a broken nose and required surgery.
The response from Berlin’s Secretary of Education, Ina Czyborra, caused further outrage as she stated, “I fundamentally reject expulsion for political reasons,” in regard to the consequences the assaulting student would face. This led to calls for her resignation from politicians and a civil servant tasked with fighting antisemitism.
The president of FU, Gunter Ziegler, also faced criticism for equating the pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus with the efforts of Jewish students to draw attention to the Hamas massacre of 1,200 people on October 7. This prompted him to suspend the German-Arab student from campus for three months.
The surge in antisemitism on German campuses has been fueled by some students seeking to whitewash the National Socialist crimes of their predecessors. Chants such as “Free Palestine from German guilt” and disruptions of lectures by Israeli figures have further exacerbated the situation.
In another concerning incident, a German civil servant tasked with fighting antisemitism delivered a speech at Tübingen University, making controversial statements about Israel’s government. This has drawn condemnation from various Jewish organizations, leading to calls for consequences for the civil servant’s actions.
The recent events have shed light on a troubling resurgence of antisemitism on German university campuses, sparking concerns and demands for decisive action and accountability from those in positions of authority.