Hello everyone. The past few days have been intense, threatening and, sadly, a bitter lesson in how deeply antisemitism is rooted in our society, and how it strikes from completely different directions. Many of you got in touch, wrote to me and showed solidarity. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

For everyone who couldn’t follow the news over the past few days, I want to briefly sum up what happened, how the press reported it and why we now have to stay loud more than ever.

What happened? A short summary

Last Monday, 31 August, I was out campaigning for Alliance 90/The Greens in Steglitz. Outside a supermarket, a man drew me into a political conversation that quickly slid into a crude antisemitic tirade. When I asked him to stop and said that I am Jewish myself, the situation escalated. He hurled vile abuse at me (“fucking Jew”, “filthy freak”) and tried to punch me in the face, missing me only narrowly. The police are now investigating him for incitement to hatred, insult and attempted assault.

But that was only the first part of the day. A few hours later I spoke at a rally at Rathaus Steglitz for diversity and queer visibility, which is very much my kind of topic. But when I mentioned the morning’s attack at the end of my speech and stressed that we also have to fight antisemitism when it comes from the left (think of the “Yalla Yalla Intifada” chants in Neukölln), the organisers simply switched off my microphone.

Press review: how the media see the incident

Fortunately, the press reaction was clear and showed that we are not being left alone with the problem. Here is a short overview:

• Among others, Tagesspiegel and the Jüdische Allgemeine reported in detail on the “really threatening situation” that morning. They also highlighted the scandal at the demonstration and quoted our Green district association, quite rightly: anyone who takes the microphone away from a victim of antisemitic violence as soon as he raises antisemitism in their own circles loses all credibility in the fight against hate and incitement.

  
  

• The taz provided important background and made clear that the attacker from Steglitz openly identified himself as an AfD voter. The article also exposed the flimsy excuses of the rally organisers, who claimed I had overrun my speaking time, which video footage of my speech clearly disproves.

  
  

• Die Welt took up the issue at the level of state politics. In my interview there, I make it clear: the structural and sometimes downplayed antisemitism on the left is a massive problem that must and will lead to a power struggle and a fight over direction within Die Linke.

  
  

My statement: no tolerance for antisemitism, no matter who it comes from

I’ve written here on my blog before: I am a Green and I am Jewish. In Jewish tradition there is the idea of Tikkun Olam, repairing the world and making it more just. For me, that means we must not compromise when it comes to protecting minorities and defending our democracy.

The events of that day show, in a frightening way, the pincer that Jews in Germany are caught in right now. On one side, open and violent right-wing extremism on the streets, fuelled by the AfD, whose supporters now feel completely uninhibited. On the other, parts of a left-wing scene that champion diversity and anti-discrimination but, when it comes to hatred of Jews, have no interest in listening to those affected, let alone in criticising themselves.

Anyone who thinks they can silence me with fists or by switching off microphones is badly mistaken. Our democracy won’t defend itself. When one minority is in danger, we all are. That’s why I will keep fighting for a Berlin where spaces for debate stay fair, where diversity is lived and where nobody, really nobody, has to be afraid to show their identity openly.

Let’s keep standing up for each other. Put what unites us above what divides us. And take a stand, without any blind spots.

Yours, Daniel