(WatchDogReport.org) – A government official of Germany’s capital city, Berlin, recently said that anti-Israel sentiment is so strong in the European country that he suggests Jewish residents hide their faith. Integration Commissioner Guner Balci delivered these remarks in the wake of the armed conflict between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, which has led to thousands of casualties so far.
During an interview with German news outlet Der Spiegel, Balci said that German political leaders are the ones to blame for the current situation the Jewish community is experiencing in the country. When asked why, she said this is because they failed to properly address the anti-Israel and antisemitic attitudes that were taking place, and could eventually lead to social tensions. Balci explained that politicians didn’t address this problem because their main concern was “anti-Muslim racism.”
The Integration Commissioner told the interviewer that the antisemitic problem that is taking place in the German city of Neukolln on a large scale is also happening on a smaller scale in many other places. When asked why Neukolln was experiencing this problem, Balci said that the reason was the predominantly large Muslim community in the city.
She also explained that while authorities have warned over the last few decades that this could happen, many politicians have systematically ignored the problem. The government official said that most political leaders didn’t believe antisemitic and anti-Israel attitudes could eventually become a nationwide issue.
She added that one of the most “clarifying moments” was when Germany’s Interior Minister, Nancy Fraeser, formally dissolved the working group addressing political Islam in the country. Balci told the interviewer she knew at that moment this issue wasn’t a priority for the German government.
Given this situation, Balci said that the best thing she could do was to advise the Jewish community in the country to prevent making “their Jewish faith visible.” She also claimed she feels “sick” that this has become “normal in Germany.”
Shortly after warning the Jewish community to hide their faith in the country, a synagogue in Berlin was firebombed. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promptly condemned the assault.
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