Criminal charges after throwing a bottle at the Jewish memorial in Frankfurt am Main

Young people are said to have insulted a group of Jewish visitors in front of a Frankfurt memorial. There should also have been a bottle throw. The police confirm this – and yet their report reads a little differently.

According to the city, there was an anti-Semitic attack on a group of Jewish visitors in Frankfurt. The incident happened on Thursday in front of the memorial in the wholesale market hall at the European Central Bank (ECB). The deportation of Jews from Frankfurt during the National Socialist period is commemorated there.

According to the city and the Jewish community, young people first used anti-Semitic abuse against the group. Then a bottle was thrown that just missed the head of a participant in the group of visitors, the city said. The city has filed a criminal complaint for attempted assault.

Lord Mayor Frankfurt condemns the incident

Mayor Mike Josef (SPD) expressed his horror at the incident: “I condemn this anti-Semitic attack, we will and must take very clear action against it.” The Hessian anti-Semitism commissioner Uwe Becker (CDU) condemned the “lack of restraint with which Jews were insulted and attacked in an anti-Semitic manner here at the memorial”.

Marc Grünbaum, head of the Jewish community, explained: “This was not a stupid youth prank, but hatred against visitors to our city who were recognizable as Jews.”

teenager apologizes

The Frankfurt police confirmed to hr that after the report of attempted serious bodily harm was being investigated. State security took over the investigation.

However, the police statement on the incident reads something different. According to this, young people only kicked a water bottle in front of them, whereupon a visitor asked what that was supposed to mean.

One of the teenagers then picked up the bottle and threw it straight up into the air. He is said to have shouted “Allahu Akbar”. Because the bottle hit a participant in the immediate vicinity, she felt threatened.

After a companion of the group of visitors rebuked the youth, the youth apologized for his behavior.

According to the city administration, the group of visitors was visiting the city of remembrance as part of the city’s visitor program. The program is aimed at children and grandchildren of Frankfurt-born Jews and people who were persecuted for political or religious reasons visiting the memorial site.

According to the city administration, the 25-strong Jewish international group of visitors will be in Frankfurt until this Tuesday.