Ahead of Oct. 31 Gen Z protests, Central Council of Jews warns of heightened threat
Citing online calls for riots over the Halloween weekend, the council sees a "heightened threat level". Almost 8,000 people have so far signed up for the Berlin protest.
Graphic: TERRA WORLD NEWS (own graphic based on the sources listed)
The Central Council of Jews in Germany sees a "heightened threat level" for Jews and Jewish institutions ahead of nationwide youth protests on Saturday, Oct. 31, according to an internal security alert seen by the Tagesspiegel newspaper. The alert calls for "heightened vigilance" and strict implementation of the necessary security measures. It cites calls on various social networks for violent riots around the Halloween weekend. This year Oct. 31 falls on the Sabbath.
According to the report, the council points to phrases such as "cleanse", "like in France" and "no rules", which it says signal a strong readiness for violence. It also sees links between pro-Palestinian actors in Germany and criminal groups in France. Although France's Jewish security service SPCJ found that riots there were not primarily aimed at Jewish sites, the council believes the situation could turn into antisemitic violence. German security authorities are also taking the threat seriously, it said.
The initiative "Gen Z regelt" has called protests in 23 cities for education, health care, climate protection and affordable living and against military conscription, and has explicitly rejected violence. By Monday evening more than 137,400 people had signed up nationwide, including almost 8,000 in Berlin, according to the initiative. Berlin's state student council is not calling on pupils to take part, and the federal student conference has also withheld support over the risk of violence. The alliance "Bildungswende jetzt!" is backing the protests.