BERLIN (JTA) — A Jewish man was badly beaten by several men in Berlin after he asked them to stop singing anti-Semitic songs.
Shahak Shapira, 26, suffered bruises and a head laceration in the assault early Jan. 1 in the center of the German capital. Shapira said the assailants were “southern European” in appearance and spoke German and Arabic.
Police said that cellphone videos he took during the attack should be helpful in finding the perpetrators.
The incident took place on an underground city train in the Kreuzberg section, according to German news reports.
Police said Shapira, whose national identity has not been released, witnessed seven men singing anti-Semitic songs and saying “f*** Israel” and “f*** Juden” on the train. He reportedly asked them to stop and recorded the scene on his cellphone.
Reaching a central station, the alleged assailants exited with Shapira and demanded that he erase the recording. When he refused, they allegedly spit on him, kicked him and punched him in the head.
The attackers fled the scene when security staff of the Berlin transit authority approached.
Police denied earlier reports that the assailants appeared to be right-wing extremists.
There have been several violent anti-Semitic attacks registered in Berlin in recent months. In November, an Israeli tourist was punched and kicked by four attackers in the Charlottenburg district of former West Berlin. In July, a Jewish man wearing a cap with a Jewish star was beaten.
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