Syrian Men Stage Riot at Munich’s Jewish Museum as Jew Hatred Continues to Surge in Germany

Edited by: Fern Sidman

A disturbing act of anti-Semitic aggression unfolded over the weekend at the Jewish Museum in Munich, when three young Syrian men rioted in front of a memorial honoring Israeli hostages and fallen soldiers, desecrating it with spit and threatening security personnel with a knife. As first reported by German media and documented by The Algemeiner, the assault is yet another harrowing indicator of the steep rise in anti-Semitism that has swept across Germany in the wake of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Three young Syrian men rioted in front of the Jewish Museum in Munich this past weekend, spitting on photographs of Israeli hostages and deceased soldiers before one of the assailants threatened security personnel with a knife.

The incident, first reported by German media, was… pic.twitter.com/2Yejzn8vUx

— Trisha Posner (@trishaposner) March 11, 2025

According to a report that appeared on Tuesday in The Algemeiner, the Jewish Museum had established a solemn memorial display dedicated to the victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led terrorist massacre in southern Israel. The display featured photographs of hostages abducted by Hamas terrorists and images of deceased Israeli soldiers, accompanied by candles in a gesture of remembrance and solidarity.

On Saturday afternoon, the sanctity of this tribute was violently disrupted. The three perpetrators—Syrian citizens reportedly residing in Austria—spat on the memorial and shouted anti-Semitic slogans, according to coverage by Süddeutsche Zeitung and Jüdische Allgemeine, both cited in The Algemeiner’s reporting.

When two security officers affiliated with the local Jewish community attempted to intervene, the situation escalated quickly. One of the assailants, identified as a 19-year-old, physically attacked one of the guards and then pulled a knife, creating a rapidly intensifying security emergency. As detailed in The Algemeiner report, officers from the police force assigned to protect the adjacent Jewish Center witnessed the altercation and acted swiftly. Within minutes, over 30 police officers converged on the scene. The threat of deadly force was ultimately required to compel the knife-wielding assailant to disarm.

MoT Welcome

Welcome to Germany.

Where a 22 year old syrian stabbed a 56 year old ticketer because he asked for a missing picture ID. pic.twitter.com/LxneRMSEyy

— Ministry of Truth (@MinistryofTru16) March 7, 2025

All three suspects—aged 19, 20, and 31—were arrested and are now facing serious charges including making threats, physical assault, defamation, and the “insulting of the memory of the deceased,” a criminal offense under German law. The case is now under the jurisdiction of the Munich Public Prosecutor’s Office, led by senior prosecutor Andreas Franck, who also serves as the Bavarian judiciary’s commissioner on anti-Semitism, as was reported in The Algemeiner.

This incident is not isolated. As The Algemeiner has chronicled, Germany has witnessed a staggering surge in anti-Semitic incidents since Hamas’s brutal October 7 attack, which claimed the lives of over 1,200 Israelis and resulted in the kidnapping of 251 civilians. The Gaza war that ensued has emboldened a wave of anti-Jewish hatred that many in Germany now describe as the worst in decades.

Statistical data calls attention to the severity of the crisis. In Berlin alone, anti-Semitic incidents recorded in the first six months of 2024 already surpassed the total number for all of 2023, reaching the highest level ever documented, according to Germany’s Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Anti-Semitism (RIAS). The Algemeiner report highlighted that the capital city averaged nearly eight anti-Semitic incidents per day during that time period—an unprecedented figure since RIAS began federal tracking in 2015.

Furthermore, data from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), as cited by The Algemeiner, shows that in 2023, police in Germany recorded 5,154 anti-Semitic incidents—marking a jaw-dropping 95 percent year-over-year increase.

In a candid interview with The Algemeiner in 2023, Felix Klein, the German federal government’s commissioner for anti-Semitism, revealed a staggering discrepancy between reported incidents and the actual scope of the problem. “Only 20 percent of the anti-Semitic crimes are reported, so the real number should be five times what we have,” Klein said. This means that the already record-breaking statistics may represent just the tip of the iceberg, masking a far more pervasive epidemic of hate.

This systemic underreporting comes against the backdrop of a marked rise in anti-Semitic acts since the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. As The Algemeiner has consistently reported, the fallout from that terrorist attack has emboldened anti-Jewish sentiment throughout Germany, culminating in physical assaults, harassment, vandalism, and incitement in public spaces, institutions, and increasingly, academic environments.

Even at the highest levels of German leadership, the gravity of the crisis has not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz issued a forceful rebuke of the wave of anti-Semitic aggression plaguing the country. As reported in The Algemeiner, Scholz called the trend “outrageous and shameful,” acknowledging the discrimination faced by Germany’s Jewish population and emphasized the need for a robust societal and governmental response.

One of the most alarming fronts in this battle is Germany’s educational system, where Jewish students have begun to feel increasingly unsafe. In the wake of the Gaza war, pro-Hamas demonstrations have surged on university campuses, often accompanied by a rise in anti-Semitic incidents masquerading as political protest. The Algemeiner reported that many Jewish students have voiced feelings of alienation, fear, and isolation amid what they describe as a hostile campus atmosphere.

Recognizing the threat posed by this growing academic radicalization, the German Bundestag took significant legislative action last month. As reported by The Algemeiner, the federal parliament passed a motion aimed at countering anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment in schools and universities. The move represents a rare bipartisan effort to stem the tide of hate that has crept into Germany’s educational institutions.

The motion, as cited by The Algemeiner, mandates that the federal government work closely with the ministers of education and the German Rectors’ Conference—a key body representing state and accredited universities—to ensure a firm institutional response to anti-Semitic incidents. “This includes the consistent enforcement of house rules, temporary exclusion from classes or studies, and even … expulsion,” the motion states, outlining a zero-tolerance approach to anti-Jewish behavior on campus.

The initiative reflects growing political and public concern over the normalization of anti-Semitism under the guise of political activism. While student-led protests often frame themselves as expressions of solidarity with Palestinians, many have veered into overt anti-Semitism, targeting Jewish students, vandalizing memorials, and glorifying terrorist organizations such as Hamas—actions that have alarmed both Jewish communities and German authorities.

Yet even with these strong legislative steps, many experts warn that meaningful progress will require far more than official motions and public condemnations. As The Algemeiner report emphasized in its coverage, the structural underreporting of anti-Semitic incidents continues to obscure the full magnitude of the crisis. Without trust in law enforcement, adequate institutional support, and a clear societal consensus that anti-Semitism has no place in Germany, much of the problem will remain hidden in the shadows.

The growing discrepancy between reported and actual cases also places a renewed burden on policymakers, universities, and civil society to create an environment in which Jewish victims feel safe and empowered to come forward. If, as Felix Klein noted to The Algemeiner, current statistics reflect only 20 percent of the reality, then Germany is confronting not merely a rise in anti-Semitism—but a deepening failure to reckon with its true scale.

One thing is clear: Germany stands at a critical juncture. The country must decide whether it will meet this moment with decisive action or allow a new wave of anti-Semitism to take deeper root in the very society that once vowed “Never Again.”