Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, has called for tougher action against anti-Semitism in Germany on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, saying existing laws do not go far enough.
“On January 27 of this year, it must be clear that words must be followed by deeds,” he said in an interview with the Jewish newspaper Jüdische Allgemeine published on Tuesday.
“Appropriate legislation must be enacted, and perpetrators must be punished. Demonstrations that openly incite violence against Jews or against Israel’s existence cannot simply be tolerated.”
Prosor said that “the line between freedom of expression and incitement” was too often crossed during protests in Germany over the Gaza war.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day marks the murder of 6 million Jews by Nazi Germany. The date was chosen to commemorate the liberation of the Auschwitz extermination camp by Soviet forces on January 27, 1945.
Prosor said it was alarming how the climate in Germany had changed in recent years. He said his concern was not limited to the rise of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
“We must also look at anti-Semitism on the left and Muslim anti-Semitism,” Prosor said. “This is a real threat to Jewish life.”