Police officers confront protesters during a pro-Palestinian rally in Berlin, Monday, October 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Barbara Slowik, Berlin’s police chief, admitted that some areas of the German capital were dangerous for openly gay or Jewish people. Speaking to the Berliner Zeitung, Slowik admitted: “There are areas, and we have to be honest here, where I would advise people who wear a yarmulke or who are openly gay or lesbian to be more careful. »
Slowik explained that certain neighborhoods, inhabited mainly by people of Arab origin, often display anti-Semitism and open homophobia. These areas, she suggested, are influenced by sympathy for extremist groups. “Unfortunately, there is open anti-Semitism against people of Jewish faith and background in these areas,” she said.
Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023, Berlin police have launched more than 6,200 investigations, most of which focus on online hate speech or anti-Semitic graffiti. About 1,300 cases involve violent incidents, although Slowik said most of them were attacks on police officers during anti-Israel protests. She emphasized that while violent crimes against Jews remain relatively low, even one incident is one incident too many. “I understand the fear and worry that persists,” she added.
Police chief’s comments follow disturbing attack on youth football team Mecca Berlinwho had to be placed under police protection. The team, made up of young people aged 13 to 16, was attacked by a crowd armed with sticks and knives after a match in the Neukölln district, an area with a large Arab and Turkish population. Witnesses reported that the attackers shouted “Free Palestine” and made anti-Semitic slurs, with some carrying knives and threatening the players.
This incident is one of several incidents targeting Jewish individuals in Berlin in recent weeks. Earlier this month, a Makkabi Berlin fan was hospitalized after being punched in the face by a man in a cafe who asked him if he was Jewish upon seeing the club’s Star of David scarf.
Makkabi Berlin, founded in the 1970s by Holocaust survivors, was the first Jewish sports club created in the German capital after World War II. Investigations into the latest incidents are ongoing, with the club expressing outrage and the away team pledging to identify and expel those involved.

Reactions on social networks

Social media users expressed strong reactions to Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik’s recent comments advising Jews and openly gay people to exercise caution in certain areas of the city.

Rising racial tensions across Europe

Rising racial and religious tensions are not unique to Germany. Communities across Europe face growing divisions amid debates over immigration, cultural integration and extremist ideologies. In France, ongoing struggles against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have sparked frequent clashes, with Jewish and Muslim communities reporting widespread discrimination and violence. In the Netherlands, tensions have flared following protests against Israel and Palestine, while far-right groups have targeted immigrant communities. These divisions, often exacerbated by inflammatory rhetoric and social media, underscore a broader crisis in multicultural societies struggling to reconcile diversity with rising nationalism and polarization.