Participants in a left-wing protest camp in the western German city of Frankfurt have been accused of anti-Semitism after an altercation with Jewish counterdemonstrators over the Gaza war.
Police in the city said three members of the Jewish community had been hit with paint bombs on the edge of the protest camp in a Frankfurt park on Friday afternoon.
“Initially, there was a verbal altercation between participants in the gathering and another group that was not participating in the gathering, relating to the current conflict in the Middle East,” the police said.
As the altercation continued, they said members of the protest System Change Camp emptied tubes of paint “in the direction of the other group of people.”
Three people were hit with the paint, they added. The Frankfurt police have filed criminal charges and are investigating for property damage. They also announced that they would increase their presence around the protest camp.
Participants in the camp reported a different version of events, however.
Some participants were beaten and kicked prior to the altercation, they said, leading them to throw paint at the assailants.
“The organizing team of the camp regrets the incident and distances itself from all forms of violence directed at people according to its red lines,” organizers said in a statement.
Some 1,000 participants are taking part in the tent camp in a park in northern Frankfurt, which is set to remain in place until August 26. According to the organizers, the camp aims to create a space for encounters, networking, further education and discussions.
“We are driven by the desire for a good life for everyone in a spirit of solidarity and intact ecosystems,” the organizers said.
The camp had already led to tensions, after opponents hung pictures of Israeli hostages kidnapped by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on the park fences. The camp participants removed the posters, prompting accusations of anti-Semitism.
Frankfurt Mayor Mike Josef condemned the incident: “Everyone in our city is free to express their opinion, but we will not tolerate anti-Semitic violence and incitement.”
Josef thanked the police for their quick response. Green Party representatives in the city council have called for consequences “up to and including the dissolution of the camp.”
Masked participants of the “System Change Camp” for climate justice sit in Grueneburgpark in front of a tent with a poster reading “All eyes on Gaza” attached to it. Arne Dedert/dpa
