Munich investigates threats against 93-year-old Charlotte Knobloch
Police in Munich, Germany, are investigating death threats against 93-year-old Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, a Holocaust survivor and critic of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. As The Jerusalem Post reports, a witness discovered inscriptions made with white ink on a park bench and a trash bin in the English Garden.
The witness reported the graffiti to police, after which law enforcement officers launched an investigation on September 9. Munich's criminal investigation department classified the incident as incitement to hatred, threats and property damage and asked witnesses to contact the police.
Content of the inscription and Knobloch's reaction
On September 11, the newspaper Abendzeitung, citing police sources, reported that the inscription mentioned an AfD victory and threatened to hang Knobloch. At the same time, a police spokesperson did not respond to a Jewish Telegraphic Agency request to confirm the content of the threat by the time of publication.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
After learning about the threat, Knobloch canceled her plan to attend a public event as a spectator. She has long called for AfD to be banned. After the September 6 election in Saxony-Anhalt, Knobloch said that the party's success frightened her and that she could not have imagined, even in her worst nightmares, such electoral success for right-wing extremists in Germany.
Elections and incident in Berlin
In the Saxony-Anhalt election, AfD won 43.8% of the vote. According to Reuters, the party fell three seats short of a majority and has not yet secured sufficient support to form a government. Munich Mayor Dominik Krause asked how many more death threats, Nazi rhetoric and statements about deportations were needed before the federal government began taking steps to ban AfD.
Felix Ballandat, a representative of the Department for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS), said the organization had not previously recorded similar cases with a direct mention of AfD and a specific target. Meanwhile, Berlin police reported a suspected antisemitic attack on a 43-year-old woman. According to police, two men insulted the woman over a Star of David, and one of them allegedly attacked her with a broken glass bottle. While defending herself, the woman suffered cuts to her hand and was taken to hospital.
