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Statements by Interior Minister Holger Stahlknecht (CDU) on the burden placed on the police to protect Jewish facilities are met with strong criticism from the Central Council of Jews. The minister had commented on Friday about the heavy burden of the police.
Stahlknecht had announced during a visit to the Dessau police station that 24-hour surveillance should continue. But that comes at a price, Stahlknecht says: The 1,500 overtime hours a month are lacking elsewhere. Therefore, it could be that the police are not on time for each request, the minister said. In any case, blue light operations would be carried out, he promised.
Central Council of Jews: Stahlknecht blames Jews for lack of police
According to an MZ report on the remarks, Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, responded on Monday. “With his comments, Minister Stahlknecht suggests that the Jews are to blame if the police can no longer adequately address the concerns of the rest of the population,” said Schuster of the MZ, adding: “A minister of state for the interior is not afraid of portraying Jews as privileged by pitting them against other population groups. This is promoting anti-Semitism. That is an accusation. “
Such an attitude left the Central Council “stunned” after the attack in Halle and the recent anti-Semitic attack in Hamburg, according to its president. “The question arises as to whether Holger Stahlknecht is still fit for the post of interior minister.”
Stahlknecht said Monday night at MZ’s request that he had been misunderstood. That makes him “deeply affected and moved.” Everyone should know that the terrorist attack on the Halle synagogue on October 9 marked a turning point in the history of our country. “My goal was and is to make clear that increased police presence to protect Jewish institutions is non-negotiable for me and has the highest priority in my actions,” Stahlknecht said.
The police union supports Stahlknecht
Stahlknecht received support from the Police Union (GdP). Its state president, Uwe Bachmann, said it was not the minister’s fault that the police were understaffed. “He strongly advocated the creation of additional jobs. The state parliament did not approve this, ”Bachmann said. According to the GdP, the state police would need an additional 75 colleagues to cover the surveillance of Jewish facilities.
However, the opposition Left Party was harshly criticized. Landtag Vice President Wulf Gallert accused the state government of “failure” in the fight against anti-Semitism. Left-wing interior politician Henriette Quade said an interior minister had a lot to do to improve the police force. This does not include “calculating to Jewish communities how much their security costs and complaining that this is lacking elsewhere.” (mz)
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