Jews demand action from Germany after attack

HALLE: Jewish leaders demanded action from Germany to protect the community and face down resurgent right-wing extremism, as a deadly anti-Semitic gun attack on the holy day of Yom Kippur underscored the rising threat of neo-Nazi violence.

At least two people were shot dead in the eastern German city of Halle on Wednesday, with a synagogue among the targets.

The suspect, identified by German media as 27-year-old German Stephan Balliet, filmed the assault and posted the video online.

The rampage was streamed live for 35 minutes on Twitch and eventually seen by some 2,200 people, the online platform said, in a chilling reminder of the mosque attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, last March, which was also online in real time.

Police subsequently captured the Halle suspect after a gun battle that left him injured.

Chancellor Angela Merkel joined a solidarity vigil at Berlin’s main synagogue on Wednesday and firmly condemned the anti-Semitic rampage.

But Jewish leaders said words were not enough, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joining calls for German authorities to “act resolutely against the phenomenon of anti-Semitism”.

The head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany ripped into the authorities for failing to provide adequate security on such a key day.

“It is scandalous that the synagogue in Halle is not protected by police on a holiday like Yom Kippur,” said Josef Schuster.

“This negligence has now been bitterly repaid.”

Ronald Lauder, who heads the World Jewish Congress, also stressed: “We need action not words” as he called for round-theclock security for Jewish sites.

“We also need to immediately launch a unified front against neoNazi groups and other extremist groups which threaten our well-being.

“The fact that, 75 years after the Holocaust, such groups are gaining influence in Germany speaks volumes.”

In a copy of a 35-minute video obtained by journalists, the gunman filmed himself launching into a hateful diatribe against women and Jews before carrying out the attack.

The video’s authenticity has been confirmed by the SITE monitoring group, but not by police.

The gunman also published an anti-Semitic “manifesto” online more than a week ago, according to SITE director Rita Katz.

She added that the document showed pictures of the weapons and ammunition he used in the attack. — AFP