Two statues in Berlin's Tiergarten defaced with antisemitic slogans
Unknown people painted antisemitic slogans in red on statues of a bear and a bull in Berlin's Tiergarten park. The police state security unit is investigating.
Unknown individuals have defaced two sculptures in the Tiergarten, a large park in the German capital Berlin, by painting antisemitic slogans on them. The report comes from Spiegel, as cited by the Ukrainian outlet European Pravda. The incident stands against a backdrop of continuing high numbers of antisemitic incidents in Germany.
What happened
According to a police statement, two antisemitic slogans were applied in red paint to the sculptures, which depict a bear and a bull. Passers-by noticed the graffiti on Tuesday morning and alerted police. Officers who arrived at the scene first covered the writing with chalk spray; professional removal is planned.
The case is being investigated by the state security service, which handles politically motivated crimes.
Antisemitism statistics
Reporting centres of the Federal Association RIAS, which records antisemitic incidents, logged more than 8,700 such incidents in Germany last year. That is roughly the same as in 2024, but three times the figure for the year before Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the subsequent large-scale Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Situation in London
Earlier this year, a wave of arson attacks hit sites linked to the Jewish community in London. In late August, four defendants pleaded guilty to setting fire to community ambulances belonging to a Jewish volunteer service. London police were reported to be investigating possible Iranian involvement in the series of attacks on Jewish community sites. The United Kingdom has also said it will allocate £250 million (€293 million) over three years to strengthen protection of Jewish communities.
