Wednesday 29, November
Antisemitic attack on bar in Berlin-Lichtenberg
In the early hours of Monday morning, a neighbourhood Kneipe in Lichtenberg was broken into by two unknown people. Entering the bar through the basement, they stole several bottles of spirits and wrote antisemitic graffiti on the walls. The graffiti included a star of David surrounding the letter “J” and the number “88”, which is a reference used among Neo-Nazi groups to stand for the phrase “Heil Hitler”. Police are investigating the matter.
The bar, “Morgen wird besser”, is Jewish-owned, and has repeatedly been the subject of antisemitic attacks. Shockingly this is the third such incident this year alone – and in 2020 an arson attack almost destroyed the entire interior of the bar. Talking to the Tagesspiegel, the owner said that the situation left him feeling “desperate”, but also spoke of the great solidarity shown by the local neighbourhood.
Incidents of antisemitism in Berlin are at worryingly high levels. The Antisemitism Research and Information Centre (RIAS) has reported October 2023 as having the highest number of such incidents since they started collecting data in 2015.
