Oct 7 Protests In Germany As Scholz Condemns Anti-Semitism

Frankfurt, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Oct, 2024) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned against rising anti-Semitism Sunday, as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian supporters took to the streets to mark the first anniversary of the war in Gaza.

"It must never be the case that Jewish citizens here in Germany have to live in fear and terror," Scholz said in a video message, reiterating Berlin's unwavering support for Israel.

"We will never accept anti-Semitism and blind hatred of Israel. The Jewish people here in Germany have the full solidarity of our state," he added.

Germany, a country still atoning for its Nazi past and the Holocaust, has experienced a surge in anti-Jewish sentiment over the past year.

More than 5,000 anti-Semitic incidents were recorded in Germany in 2023, half of them after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to Felix Klein, the government's commissioner for the fight against anti-Semitism.

Protests took place in cities across Germany at the weekend as the Gaza war neared the one-year mark.

Over a thousand people marched in solidarity with Palestinians in Berlin, police said, many wearing a keffiyeh, a traditional scarf symbolising the Palestinian struggle against Israel.

Demonstrators chanted "Gaza you are not alone" and carried signs that read "Nothing justifies genocide" and "Free Gaza".

A pro-Israel demonstration near Berlin's Brandenburg Gate meanwhile drew around 500 people, police said. Many waved the Israeli flag and some carried pictures of hostages held by Hamas.

More demonstrations are expected Monday, including in Frankfurt.

The unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 41,870 people in Gaza, the majority of them civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations has said the figures are reliable.

Scholz on Sunday again called for a ceasefire.

"Unfortunately, on this first anniversary of Hamas's terror attack on Israel, peace or even reconciliation in the middle East seem more distant than ever," he said.

The German government "continues to persistently advocate for a ceasefire, which must now finally come about", he added.