• Published 13:35 24.06.10
  • Latest update 13:35 24.06.10

Police suspect Muslim youth in attack on German Jewish dancers

Police were interrogating two immigrant teenagers, 15 and 19, in the incident. It was not yet clear whether the attack had been organized in advance.

By The Associated Press Tags: Israel news Jewish World

German police suspect a group of Muslim children and teenagers were responsible for attacking a Jewish dance troupe during their performance at a street festival in Hannover last weekend.

Hannover police spokesman Thorsten Schiewe said the teenagers used a megaphone to shout anti-Semitic slurs before hurling stones at the troupe, in an attack which wounded one of the dancers.

German Jews

A woman holds a copy of the German Jewish newspaper, Juedische Allgemeine, at a Berlin rally.

Photo by: Archive

Police were interrogating two immigrant teenagers, 15 and 19, in the incident. It was not yet clear whether the attack had been organized in advance.

The dance group canceled their performance after the incident.

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  • 15. 0 0
    Two more excuses from the usual suspects
    • Kurtlane
    • 26.06.10
    • 08:35

    1) Islamophobia. 2) you are racist

  • 14. 0 0
    Dancing in Hannover on the street's!
    • Observer
    • 25.06.10
    • 09:08

    Why the hell are these people dancing in Hannover on the Street's?

  • 13. 0 0
    No proof they're Muslim
    • 10025
    • 25.06.10
    • 02:54

    Some Europeans of Arab descent are Christian or atheist.

  • 12. 1 0
    racism is everywhere...also in Israel
    • torta
    • 24.06.10
    • 23:25

    Nasty story! But I read a couple of years ago on BBC News about a polling made amongst Israeli (jewish) youth aged 12 to 18: almost 80 % of them claimed that the palestinians and muslims in general were less intelligent and less clean than themselves.... just to tell everybody here: Yes, what happend in Germany is bad, but isn't there racism in Israel? No? Really? Sure you're not looking down at the moslems and think you're much better than them....?

  • 11. 0 0
    jewish life in germany
    • axel s. - germany
    • 24.06.10
    • 23:09

    what sad news. im a 30 aged german and i never met any jew in my life. i never saw any jewish culture in german life. i know max. 5 jewish people in the german publik. maybe hitler was too successful. maybe we need more of our lost jewish culture in germany. it should be normal. not exceptional.

  • 10. 0 1
  • 9. 0 0
    Other way around?
    • Sherlock Holmes
    • 24.06.10
    • 21:24

    Somehow I can't imagine Jewish teens screaming anti-Islamic slurs and throwing stones at dancers because they happened to be Muslims. These Islamic teens seem to be against Jews as Jews, even if they are not Israelis, while they would not harm Israelis who happen to be Muslims.

    • 1 0
      And we can also acknowledge. .
      • Neil
      • 25.06.10
      • 00:28

      Every right thinking person will decry this senseless attack on innocent people. I am looking forward to the people who are crying anti-semitism and the start of Krystalnight to post on the stories about Israeli colonists attacking innocent Palestinians who live in nearby villages just because they are non-Jew. All attacks on innocent people by anyone are abhorrent. I wish everyone the wisdom to see all issues from both sides and respect the facts that exist.

  • 8. 0 1
    attacking jewish dancers
    • zoe
    • 24.06.10
    • 20:39

    thank you europe for inciting antisemitism!

  • 7. 0 1
  • 6. 0 1
    Kristallnacht
    • Day and Night
    • 24.06.10
    • 18:32

    It looks like it is starting all over again. What's next? Jewish only benches?

    • 0 0
      Do u really know how Germany looks today?
      • maya
      • 24.06.10
      • 22:24

      who is denying humanitarian aid to starving refugees? guess also Nazis... and if you think Moslems know about Kristallnacht in Germany, i guess the origin were German nazis and not the moslems with a German citizenship ....

    • 2 0
      Ridiculous.
      • Gray, Germany
      • 24.06.10
      • 22:44

      There are about 250,000 Jewish citizen living in Germany. Plus an unknown number of Jewish tourists every single day. And you compare this single incident, where one out of eight Jewsih dancers got a bruise at the leg, with the Kristallnacht? Such exaggerations are embarassing.

    • 0 0
      come on
      • axel s. - germany
      • 24.06.10
      • 23:26

      it was not leaded by our government-party as in `38 - and the kids are prosecuted very hard as spiegelonline has written.

  • 5. 1 0
    Btw, "Muslim Youth"? Who says this?
    • Gray, Germany
    • 24.06.10
    • 18:22

    According to the reports, the offenders were kids of palestinian, lebanese and iranian heritage. No report says anything about a religious background. It may very well be that some of the youths are christian.

    • 0 0
      _[°|°]_
      • Josh
      • 24.06.10
      • 22:46

      That's simply rubbish. As a social worker in the Rhein-Main-erea I can asure you that there is probably not even 1 out of a 100 kids that isn't a muslim. I pretty much doubt that it's so different in Hannover.

    • 0 1
      Hey, They are Christian Persians!
      • Ben
      • 25.06.10
      • 06:06

      oH YEAH, THEY ARE NOT MUSLIMS! they must be Jewish, from Iranian decent! Just don't say the "M" word because it is politically incorrect to do such a thing. Forget it, actually lets just call it response to Israel. gagreeagreesion

    • 0 1
      Usual reply by a German
      • Hastaroth
      • 25.06.10
      • 08:39

      Kids of "palestinian,lebanese and iranian heritage" have a high probability of being muslims instead of christians.But you know that,I suppose....

    • 0 1
      More excuses
      • The Prophet
      • 25.06.10
      • 16:45

      Nobody but you buys these excuses.

    • 0 2
      Religion does not matter , it matters where they came from .
      • TOMY
      • 25.06.10
      • 20:50

      As soon as one is raised among the " religion-of-peace" he will became the same . it is that culture that matter most .

    • 0 2
      3 comments from gray relativising the situation
      • nina
      • 27.06.10
      • 07:49

      May I reply-the news is not of worldwide importance, only of Jewish relevance, which is why you found it in the Jewish World section. It is the police who called the youths Muslim. And you give an example of a fight between 2 groups of immigrants in a subway and ask why Jews should be exempt. These particular Jews were clearly not provoking trouble, but giving a performance, whereas you don't say what happened in the subway incident. However, no one is exempt from crime, and I am sure respective ethnic groups are also concerned for their own.

  • 4. 2 0
    More details, from the newspaper of Hannover
    • Gray, Germany
    • 24.06.10
    • 18:07

    The incident happened at a neighborhood festival in a social housing area (in the US, they would call it a "project"). When "Israeli Dances" were announced, a teenager (who allegeldy is mentally handicapped) started voicing insults with a megaphone. Up to 30 kids, of libanese, palestinian and iranian heritage joined him with shouting slurs and started throwing rocks. The organizers of the event, and social workers, immediately confronted those kids, but had problems because of their number. One of the eight dancers of the Reform Jewish Community group was hit and got a bruise. The police has arrested six kids, aged 9 to 19, so far. Politicians of all parties expressed shock and dismay about the anti-semitic outburst. Integration Minister Aygül Özkan stated that everybody has to tolerate other religions, ancestries, and political points of view. The leader of the Palestinian community Yazir Shammout, who has organized several joined activities and meetings with the Jewish community, determinedly condemned the violence and emphasized that disagreements have to be treated in a factual based and civilized manner. Reacting on the increasing anti-semitism among migrant children, Hannover's major Stephan Weil announced new school projects, making Israel a topic. The leader of the Reform Jews in Hannover, Ingrid Wettberg, announced that their community will continue to take part in public activities. However, security measures may be increased. (informations found at www.haz.de) So, this isn't taken lightly in Germany. Politicians and authorities react on the incident with programs designed to deal with anti-semitism. But is this is an issue of worldwide importance?

    • 0 0
      _[°|°]_
      • Josh
      • 24.06.10
      • 22:41

      To answer you question: No, it isn't. That's exactly the reason why this news was publiished in "jewish world", and not on the front page, for example.

    • 0 1
      Jewish kids stoned by Muslim teenagers in Germany...
      • Ehud
      • 24.06.10
      • 23:20

      ...and you ask whether this is an issue for an Israeli newspaper? Of worldwide importance? You bet!

    • 0 0
      Mr. Yazout said more than that.
      • Zvi
      • 25.06.10
      • 05:22

      He said that feelings of solidarity with Gazans are mis-used to create anti-Israel sentiment, and from there it is only a short step to anti-Semitism. („Leider wird die weit verbreitete Solidarität mit den Palästinensern, die dort leben, immer wieder missbraucht, um antiisraelische Stimmung zu machen – und von dieser ist es nur ein kleiner Schritt zum Antisemitismus, der wirklich niemandem dient.“) The comment about treating differences of opinion between local Jews and Arabs in a "factual & civilized" way should probably be translated as "businesslike & civilized" rather than "factual & civilized." As I said, this was a pretty strong statement.

    • 0 0
      It has all the elements of the story being dismissed as an anomaly
      • Boris
      • 25.06.10
      • 06:19

      "Kids will be kids", "mentally handicapped leader" with access to megaphone, politically correct statements from "Integration" Minister, and so on...

    • 0 0
      No,Gray,this is an issue of Jewish importance
      • Hastaroth
      • 25.06.10
      • 08:40

      and Haaretz is a Jewish newspaper.

    • 0 0
      Worldwide importance
      • The Prophet
      • 25.06.10
      • 16:49

      Yes, it's f worldwide importance. Germans have an even higher responsibility than other other nations to ensure that this sort of racism does not occur on their soil. Programs designed to deal with antisemitism are useless if these Muslim kids are being fed a steady diet of Jew-hatred at home, like Muslim kids the world over. This sort of mass brainwashing has occurred in Germany before with well-remembered consequences.

  • 3. 0 1
    Real metaphor
    • Avi
    • 24.06.10
    • 17:17

    Jewish dancers performing and Muslim teenagers throwing racial slurs and throwing rocks. I hope they sue their parents for the canceled performance or at least demand an apology.

  • 2. 1 50
    In other news from Hannover...
    • Gray, Germany
    • 24.06.10
    • 16:56

    ...police was called after 3 young Turks and 6 Iranians got into a struggle in the subway. Evidence of an alarming anti-Turk sentiment in Germany? Not really. Let's not blow up singular incidents beyond all proportions. All around the world, young people struggle with each other because of idiotic controversies, many of them based on pure prejudices. Why should Jews be the only group that is excempt from this? Get real, and stop pretending you're special!

    • 0 1
      Special
      • Saul
      • 24.06.10
      • 23:28

      I wouldn't wish our "specialness" on anyone. If you truly belive that prejudice towards Jews is proporionate you are blind , the statistics from muliple state sposored bodies and ngo's show a rapid rise in antisemitic incidents and an huge increase in holocaust denial. Try being as special as us for one day.

    • 0 1
      you would maybe be right.....
      • The Truth
      • 25.06.10
      • 07:59

      had they not gone onto a loud speaker to yell out anti-semetic slurs! Your ingnorance/wilful blindness to this problem is not surprising. Jews don't want to be given this type of "special" treatment. You can keep that for yourself.

    • 0 1
      Excuses, Excuses
      • The Prophet
      • 25.06.10
      • 16:38

      Hey, Gray. Stop trying to excuse the inexcusable.

  • 1. 0 0
    "Negotiations"?
    • Tali
    • 24.06.10
    • 16:47

    Who are we kidding? Who to negotiate with exactly? These punks should be deported. Too bad civilized people choose not to defend themselves adequately.