According to the district mayor, the Middle East conflict has been making teaching difficult for some schools in Berlin-Neukölln for a long time.
Martin Hikel (SPD) told the RBB station Radio Eins that he is observing that the Middle East conflict is also being played out in individual schools in his district. This is primarily about students who consume a lot of Arabic media in their families, such as television channels and internet portals.
He is therefore in contact with the schools and the Berlin Senate, said Hikel. “Because of course it cannot be the case that a conflict that is taking place thousands of kilometers from Berlin also means that under certain circumstances our colleagues in schools cannot teach properly.”
On Monday, after the terrorist attack by the Islamist Hamas on Israel, there was a violent confrontation between a student and a teacher at a high school in Neukölln. A 14-year-old student showed up at school with a Palestine flag and a Palestinian scarf, the police said. The 61-year-old teacher wanted to ban him from wearing the political symbols. A 15-year-old student then intervened and head-butted the teacher. According to the information, the teacher fought back and hit the student, who then kicked the teacher. The police were alerted and investigated for bodily harm.