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Swollen eyes, a broken nose and several metal plates on his face: Lahav Shapira (30), the brother of comedian Shahak Shapira (35), reports from hospital for the first time after being brutally beaten in February. The perpetrator: a fellow student of Shapira.
According to his own statement, pro-Palestinian Mustafa A.* (23) intercepted the 30-year-old in front of a bar in Berlin-Mitte and severely beat him. “My nose was completely broken, a bone in the eye socket and one in the cheek were also broken. I have two metal inserts on my face. There was a small brain hemorrhage, which fortunately did not spread,” Lahav Shapira told “Welt”.
The Public Prosecution Service assumes a targeted attack against him as a Jew. Shapira is also convinced she is the victim of an anti-Semitic attack. “I was attacked because I support Israel’s right to exist and do not want Israel to be wiped out.” The Public Prosecution Service is investigating suspected dangerous physical injuries and the university has denied attacker A. access to the building.
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The attack occurred on February 2 when Lahav Shapira left a bar with his companion. Suddenly Mustafa A. jumped at him. After two punches, Shapira went down. But the attacker did not let him go and kicked him straight in the face. According to Shapira, the attack followed an incident in which he removed posters of anti-Israel groups at the Free University of Berlin. The posters allegedly described the creation of Israel as a land grab, as “Welt” reports.
In addition to the brutal attack, there is also unrest against the Jewish student on WhatsApp. In a chat used to network student teachers, he had to remove some users for calling for anti-Semitic demonstrations. Then another group emerged in which he was threatened with violence. In addition, anti-Semitic conspiracy myths were spread, as Lahav Shapira reports.
“We were sent ahead because the university did not dare.”
The Jewish fellow students noticed the anti-Semitic groups at the University of Berlin early on and contacted the management. During a meeting with the Executive Board, solutions were promised, but the students were then ignored. “We had to relay notices of anti-Israel demonstrations and were encouraged to remove posters and graffiti ourselves,” says Shapira.
However, as the attack on him shows, this approach can quickly become dangerous. “We are being sent forward because the university apparently does not dare.” He had only heard of the Free University of Berlin once, when he had to postpone his biology exam. “I would have liked more support.”
Lahav Shapira accepts the case, but he is used to such situations. At the age of 17, he was insulted as a “Jewish pig” and beaten up because of his Jewish heritage. “But that doesn’t make me want to lock myself at home.” When he is on the road at night, he will now keep a close eye on who is around.
*Names known
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
