Jewish German spat on for wearing kippah in public
Officials had identified two Syrian nationals as the alleged perpetrators, reported a spokesman of Brandenburg police on Sunday.
By ALEX WINSTONA man wearing a kippah listens to speakers during an anti-Semitism protest at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate(photo credit: REUTERS)
A Jewish resident of the German city of Potsdam, near Berlin, who wore a kippah with a Star of David, was attacked and insulted in front of Potsdam Central Station.Officials had identified two Syrian nationals as the alleged perpetrators, reported a spokesman of Brandenburg police on Sunday. Police are treating it as a hate crime.The 25-year-old student told German press that he wears the kippah daily."When I got off the tram at the main station, I noticed shadows behind me," he reported.The next moment he was spat on with antisemitic threats and gestures. He then alerted the federal police. The 2 Syrians were taken for questioning and later released whilst the investigation is ongoing.Germany has witnessed growing antisemitic attacks recently, leading to a warning from the country’s commissioner on combating antisemitism about not wearing kippot in public spaces.This in turn led to Germany’s best-selling newspaper Bild to print an extraordinary front-page commentary in May declaring that, “The kippah belongs to Germany,” with a cut out of a kippah that could be worn as a sign of solidarity against rising antisemitism in Germany.
