German court convicts 21-yo ‘Hitler 2’ for incitement

A German court in Bonn convicted Bilal Z. on Monday for an antisemitic incitement attack on an Israeli professor, Yitzhak Melamed, in 2018. The 21-year-old Bilal, a German citizen of Palestinian origin who dubbed himself “Hitler 2,” according to the daily Bild, was sentenced to three months in prison.

Melamed’s face was bleeding and his glasses were broken after Bilal and the police attacked him – following Bilal’s assault, police allegedly mistook Melamed for the assailant and began beating him, according to Melamed’s account of the incident. A philosophy professor at Johns Hopkins University in the US, Melamed was wearing a kippah when he was violently attacked by Bilal, who screamed at the professor: “You are a Jew,” “No Jews in Germany” and “I’ll kill all Jews.”

Bilal was previously sentenced to three years and nine months for additional crimes, including robbery, which are not connected to the attack on Melamed. The court did not convict Bilal for allegedly striking the professor in the face.

A psychological report said Bilal is shaped by “deeply inculcated Jew-hatred,” according to the Bild.

Bilal said during the trial that he was “ashamed” for what he did. An investigatory process against the police who assaulted Melamed was discontinued. Melamed’s lawyer, according to Bild, protested the authorities’ decision to take no disciplinary action against the officers. Melamed’s attorney said that his client experienced far worse antisemitism from the police, and that Melamed has lost faith in Germany’s judicial system.

Melamed was not present at the trial, but his attorney read a statement.