There is violence on the streets of Berlin almost every day. Since the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas on Israel with hundreds of dead and kidnapped people almost three weeks ago, people have been moving through the capital every evening, sometimes celebrating the terror of Hamas, calling for violence against Jews, insulting them, and questioning Israel’s right to exist . Criminals throw stones at police officers, set fire to garbage cans, shout anti-Jewish slogans – even throw an incendiary device at a synagogue. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations also repeatedly get out of hand in other German cities, but nowhere with such frequency as in the capital.
The Berlin police have long since requested reinforcements from other federal states and from the Federal Police in order to get the situation under control, to prevent and investigate crimes and to arrest the perpetrators.
And politics? She called for tougher action against criminals across almost all party lines and, in particular, tangible consequences for all those who attract attention through anti-Semitic agitation, support for terrorism or violence. It is the time of law and order rhetoric. A selection:
…if that’s possible. A look at the numbers and the legal situation shows: In the vast majority of cases, this is exactly what will not work. The pithy statements from politicians are likely to fall flat.
In total, from October 7th to 26th, the Berlin police initiated investigations into 852 cases on suspicion of crimes related to the Middle East conflict. This includes, among other things, offenses that are repeatedly recorded in the context of gatherings, such as breach of the peace, damage to property, bodily harm, freeing prisoners or resistance to law enforcement officers – virtually business as usual in violent demonstrations, regardless of what they are aimed at or against .
However, the police also recorded a number of crimes that were explicitly directed against Israel or Jews. These include, for example, incitement to hatred, violation of flags and national emblems of foreign states, or the dissemination of propaganda materials and symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations. There is no exact breakdown of the number of offenses in each case, but the police reports from the capital over the past few weeks are full of such days.
Who are the perpetrators who bring violence and hatred of Israel onto Berlin’s streets? As of Thursday (October 26), the police had identified a total of 308 people as suspects in the context of the Middle East conflict, some of whom are said to have appeared several times. Most of them, namely 170, have German citizenship, as a survey by the Berlin police, which is available to Stern, shows.
Of the Germans with a dual passport, the German-Turks represent the largest group (13), followed by the German-Lebanese (8). The nationalities of the remaining suspects are spread across the globe. Syrian (30) and Italian (8) citizens stand out.
Deporting people after a possible final conviction should therefore not be possible in most cases. In principle, Germans are not allowed to be deported (even after the experiences of the Nazi era). The Basic Law prohibits the withdrawal of German citizenship and extradition abroad. Even stateless persons or people whose nationality cannot be determined cannot be deported due to a lack of a country capable of accepting them. In addition, there is the large group of people who come from countries to which deportation is currently virtually impossible because there are either no corresponding agreements or serious human rights violations are to be expected there (e.g. Syria or Libya).
The data “only” shows the situation in Berlin, they “only” show a section, but the numbers suggest: The anti-Semitism that is widespread in parts of Germany is above all a German problem that must be solved here and not abroad can be deported – despite all political demands.
Sources: Information from the Berlin Police Force, press releases from the Berlin Police Force, the Basic Law, the DPA news agency
