A kosher café in Leipzig, Germany, has been attacked by a group of children and teenagers who hurled bottles, shouted racist remarks, and attempted to force entry, in an incident police are investigating as a hate-related offence. An employee was injured, and the café sustained damage after the youths returned in a larger group following an earlier confrontation, reports The Jerusalem Post.
According to the Leipzig Police and the café, HaMakom Exhibition and Café, the incident began when an employee noticed two children attempting to steal an Israeli flag displayed outside the premises. The children left when confronted, but later returned with six other youths.
The group threw full plastic bottles at staff, one of which struck an employee’s leg, causing minor injuries. Police said the attackers shouted racist and inflammatory remarks during the assault and attempted to break into the café by hitting a window with a display stand. The damage to the property was estimated at around €100.
Police identified two of the suspects, aged 10 and 11, as repeat juvenile offenders already known to law enforcement. Investigators have opened proceedings for property damage, aggravated assault, and incitement to hatred.
HaMakom, which is owned by a local evangelical church, said the attack was driven by hostility towards Israel and Jews. In a statement, the café said it stands “in friendship with Jewish life and against all forms of hatred of Jews and Israel,” adding that the violence reflects an atmosphere Jewish communities are increasingly forced to endure. “This hatred was not directed at us,” the statement said. “It is the atmosphere that our Jewish friends, unfortunately, often experience from different social groups. All hatred blinds.” The café concluded with the message: “Am Yisrael chai – the people of Israel live!”
Photo credit: REUTERS/Christian Mang TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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