Jewish man reports assault with slur in Germany’s capital

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Police in Germany say they are investigating a Jewish man’s report of being punched in the face and abused with antisemitic language while walking home in Berlin early Saturday.

A Berlin police news release said the 41-year-old man wearing a traditional skullcap, or kippa, passed three other men in Duerer Square at about 2:15 a.m. One of three punched him in the face, knocking him against a shop window, and added an antisemitic insult, the man told police when he reported the incident at a local precinct.

He was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released. Police said the men have not been located.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel used her weekly video podcast on Saturday to condemn anti-Jewish statements heard at recent protests over the recent fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Merkel said that “whoever takes hatred of Jews to our streets places himself outside our constitutional order.”

The head of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany also condemned antisemitic chants during the protests.

Police said