Shop owner in Berlin-Kreuzberg charged following attack
A 67-year-old shop owner was attacked by several people in early October and sprayed with pepper spray. The attack was apparently motivated by a poster bearing the words "I stand with the Jews".
Robbery of shop owner in Kreuzberg — antisemitism as motive
A long-standing operator of a political neighbourhood shop in Berlin-Kreuzberg became the target of a violent attack in early October. According to columnist Harald Martenstein in BILD, the 67-year-old and his shop M 99 were attacked by six to eight people, some only ten years old, others around 15 years old. The attackers beat the owner, sprayed him with pepper spray and hurled racist insults at him.
The man has been in a wheelchair since an earlier accident and suffered head injuries in the attack. According to Martenstein, the shop had displayed a poster of pop star Boy George in the window, featuring his current song lyrics — including the sentence "I stand with the Jews". The following day, the attackers returned, shouting "Are you Jewish?" and threatened the owner again.
The M 99 has been known for decades as a meeting point for the autonomous scene. According to the account, the shop has been searched by police on 54 occasions to date. The owner must now work under police protection. Following the attack, an antisemitically motivated assault is being considered as the reason for the violence.
Source: BILD