Commemoration in Berlin: Top German politicians remember the victims of Hamas terror

On the third anniversary of October 7, 2023, on which the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel and killed and kidnapped more than 1,200 people, numerous top German politicians are calling for the fight against anti-Semitism. "For me, every single anti-Semitic attack is an additional task to continue to take sides offensively: for Jews in Germany, for the state of Israel," said Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) on Berlin's Bebelplatz.

Anti-Semitism is a “vile poison,” said Dobrindt. "And we must defend ourselves against this clearly and consistently every day." The National Socialists' book burning on Bebelplatz in 1933 should be a reminder of "how bestial and murderous anti-Semitism is," said the CSU politician, referring to the location of the memorial event. According to police, around 1,700 people gathered on Bebelplatz under the motto “Never forget. Never be silent.”

Aside from the memorial event, several other top politicians also made similar appeals on the third anniversary of the Hamas attack. Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier denounced anti-Semitic agitation on social media that had “flared up in an intolerable way.”

Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) primarily expressed support for Israel: "Our Israeli friends can count on our commitment to ensure that such a crime never occurs again," said Merz, according to a statement. Germany's commitment to Israel's security is a "lesson from the Shoah and part of German identity." At the same time, he reiterated his support for a two-state solution in the Middle East so that Israelis, Palestinians and their neighbors could live in peace and security.

Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) called the “horrific increase in anti-Semitism” in many countries, including Germany, shameful. Bundestag President Julia Klöckner (CDU) made an appeal to citizens in parliament: It is up to everyone to put anti-Semites in their place in their own everyday lives, "on the doorstep, at work, in their free time."

Israeli Ambassador Ron Prosor also took part in the memorial event at Bebelplatz. "October 7th was a genocide against Jews and Israelis," he said. »We have heard enough Sunday speeches about dead Jews. Action is needed now – an offensive against anti-Semitism.” He pointed out that many Jewish institutions were under police protection. "But police protection is the last line of defense, and not normality."