Jeremy Issacharoff, Israeli Ambassador to Germany, on Friday called on Berlin to boost security efforts to guarantee the safety of the Jewish community in Germany, as the country is swept by anti-Israel demonstrations.
"I call on the German authorities to do everything possible to ensure the safety of our community here," the ambassador said in a live broadcast on ARD television.
After a sharp escalation of the situation on the border of Israel and the Gaza Strip, mass anti-Israeli demonstrations have been taking place in Germany. Detentions have been made and police were forced to step up security and use force against the most radical protesters, who are demanding that Israel immediately stop strikes on the Gaza Strip.
According to Die Welt, about 1,500 people with Palestinian and Turkish flags took to the streets of Bremen city on Thursday. In Hanover, law security officers dispersed a rally of about 550 people over violations of sanitary requirements. There were also attempts to burn Israeli flags, for which two people were detained. In the city of Gelsenkirchen, about 200 protesters gathered outside a synagogue chanting chauvinist slogans, according to the Bild tabloid. The police were able to block the protesters' path to the synagogue using batons.
In Hanover, about 550 people took to the streets, the police stopped the action because of mass violations of health guidelines. The protests saw attempts to burn Israeli flags, as well as two people taken into custody and facing fines for desecrating foreign state symbols.
According to the BILD tabloid, a similar rally was held in the city of Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday evening, when some 200 demonstrators with flags of Palestine, Turkey, and Algeria gathered outside a synagogue chanting anti-Semitic slogans. The security forces blocked the way of the protesters to the synagogue building and used rubber batons against them.
The police in Munster city said that the security of the local synagogue had to be boosted after Wednesday's riots. A group of radicals burned the flag of Israel near the synagogue. Thirteen people were detained.
In Bonn, the security of Jewish religious sites was beefed up after a group of young people set the synagogue on fire. Three people were detained, one more suspect is on the run.
Meanwhile, 16 police officers were injured at a protest rally by pro-Palestinian activists in the German capital.
