Merkel to rally fight against anti-Semitism
Amid rise in hate speech, attacks against Jews in Berlin, German Chancellor urges public to show up for rally under title 'Stand Up: Jew Hatred - Never Again!'
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Jewish leaders will speak Sunday at a Berlin rally against anti-Semitism after the latest Gaza conflict sparked an upsurge in hate speech against Jews.
Under the banner "Stand Up: Jew Hatred - Never Again!" political and religious leaders and thousands of people are expected at the rally from 1300 GMT at the iconic Brandenburg Gate.
The event, to be attended by German President Joachim Gauck, coincides with a meeting in the capital of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), whose president Ronald S. Lauder is among the speakers.
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It comes 75 years after the outbreak of World War II, during which Nazi Germany murdered six million Jews, a crime that remains a source of enduring shame in the country.
Germany's Jewish community in July, at the height of the Israeli bombardment of Gaza, condemned an "explosion of evil and violent hatred of Jews" at pro-Palestinian rallies where some demonstrators chanted that Jews should be "gassed".
The spate of ugly incidents that deeply unsettled Germany's resurgent 200,000-strong Jewish community also saw a petrol bomb hurled at the facade of a synagogue in the western city of Wuppertal.
Levi Salomon of the Jewish Forum for Democracy and Against Anti-Semitism said that after "outrageously anti-Semitic" chants drew widespread political and media condemnation, rally organisers merely shifted their language from attacking "Jews" to "Zionists".
Although the street protests were dominated by young Muslim men, Salomon pointed out in an essay, they also drew support from an alliance of "neo-Nazis, Israel-boycott activists, left anti-imperialist and Islamist groups under the banner of hatred".
"The trigger for the flare-up of anti-Semitism was the escalation in the Middle East, but the cause was the anti-Semitism that remains rooted in large parts of German society," he wrote.
'Dark 20th century history'
Merkel, in her latest weekly podcast, vowed to "personally do everything I can – as will my entire government – to ensure that anti-Semitism doesn't have a chance in our country".
But the chancellor – who has won Israel's highest civilian honour for her efforts against anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial – stressed that "we've got a lot of work ahead of us".
"We can see that there is not a single Jewish institution here that doesn't require police protection... That's something that very much concerns me."
Her government, including Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has urged citizens to show up and lend their support in great numbers.
"Unfortunately, recent weeks have shown that anti-Semitism and racism rear its ugly head again and again in this country despite our dark 20th century history," Steinmeier told newspaper the Ruhr Nachrichten. "We must resolutely confront this."
He added that he wished events like the rally were not necessary and called for a sustained societal effort against anti-Semitism "on the other 364 days" of the year.
Prominent personalities and media have also joined in the campaign.
A commentary in mass-circulation daily Bild said: "Stand up! Banish Anti-Semitism forever! By joining forces on Sunday at the Brandenburg Gate we will send a clear message against hatred towards Jews. Enough is enough! Anti-Semitism has no place in Germany!"
The publisher of Bild, Axel Springer, is marking the event with a 180-square-metre (2,000-square-foot) light installation on the facade of its Berlin headquarters that says "Speak out! Never again hatred of Jews".
Meanwhile, leader of the World Jewish Congress warned Saturday, ahead of the rally, that European voters risk giving their countries a bad name by electing far-right politicians.
WJC president Ronald Lauder also voiced concern that Islamic extremists are trying to "use all means," particularly online, to stir hatred and pointed to the threat posed by radicalized Muslims returning from Syria and Iraq.
In May, European Parliament elections brought successes for far-right parties, particularly in France.
"One person representing a country who is extreme will give their whole country a bad name," Lauder told The Associated Press. "When people vote who goes to the parliament they have to say to themselves, 'who do we really want to represent us, who do we really want to be the face of what people see of our country?'"
Lauder said that, while only a small percentage of Muslims in Europe took part in recent demonstrations, "what worries me very, very much are the political agitators on the part of the Muslim extremists who are trying to use all means, particularly through the Internet, to get people angry."
Europe countries are worried about the return of citizens who fought with the Islamic State group or others who might commit attacks at home. Lauder said that "this is the major threat."
Officials say at least 400 people from Germany have gone to Syria and Iraq to fight with extremist groups.
The government Friday banned all activity on behalf of IS, including the distribution of propaganda. "It should have been taken off the air sooner," Lauder said.
