"I'm terrified," said a Jewish woman from Berlin after Jewish homes were marked with the Star of David in the German capital. Her concerns are well-founded. During protests supporting Hamas since the onset of the war, participants also chanted familiar Nazi slogans, like "Death to Jews." The Nazis have not vanished. But Islamo-Nazis are marching in the streets of Berlin and almost every major city across Europe. The problem isn't just with the Jews. Europe has a problem.
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Israel is battling the axis of evil, Sunni and Shiite Jihad, in a tough and brutal war. But these are primarily external enemies. Hezbollah from the north, Hamas from the south, and occasionally, Jihadist terrorists operating in the Palestinian territories. European countries face a wholly different situation
The Islamo-Nazi enemy is within. Tens of millions of Muslims living in Europe do not necessarily support Jihad. But a majority has never been required. Tens of thousands of Muslims took to the streets since October 7 to identify with Hamas, an integral part of the global Jihad. They showed support even when they were aware of the mass murders, even when they knew about the slaughtering of infants and mothers.
In some European countries, there is a ban on demonstrations supporting Hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organization. However, the workaround is to protest, ostensibly, "for the Palestinians". But when you hear the voices and messages, when you see the countless signs with predominant slogans like "From the Jordan to the sea, Palestine will be free" – there's no room for illusions.
These are demonstrations advocating for the elimination of the Jewish state. Occasionally, ISIS flags also appear at these protests. Not a single sign supports peace, reconciliation, or a two-state solution for two peoples. They are siding with the perpetrators of the massacre. Established Europeans from antisemitic circles also participate in these protests, masquerading as progressives and enlightened.
Not every protest participant or Hamas supporter, even among those who take to the streets, will arm themselves to carry out a terrorist act. But it's already happening.
So far, there have been "only" three victims in two terrorist acts. A teacher was murdered in France, and two Swedish soccer fans were killed in Brussels.
In a sign of solidarity with the Jewish victims of the massacre, as manifested in the Berlin protests, Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor, referred to it as a Trojan horse in the heart of Europe, an Islamist Trojan horse. It's alarming. The security at every Jewish institution in most European countries has been heightened. No Muslim institution has needed such an increase.
Occasionally, it seemed Europe was waking up. For instance, this was the case after the November 2015 terrorist attacks in France, where 130 people were killed. Masses of Muslims did not take to the streets in support of jihad, unlike the recent two weeks. Many intellectuals condemned the terror but often added a "but". And this "but" was a way to say – it's because of what the West does in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's because of capitalism, it's due to Zionism, and so on.
Europe hasn't truly awakened. It's in a slumber. And the recent demonstrations, a French journalist told me, are just the tip of the iceberg. The moment the IDF enters the Gaza Strip, Europe will be shaken to its core.
"Remember Nahel Merzouk?" he asked, referring to a 17-year-old killed by the police. I certainly remembered. It happened this year. "1,000 buildings were burned down," he reminded me. And this occurred even though Merzouk was evading the police.
What will happen now, with a potential ground invasion? There's a genuine concern, he said regretfully, that it might lead to riots. Jews might get hurt. Of course, one hopes it won't come to that, but it's evident that Europe as a whole has a problem. The situation for the Jews is even more precarious.
In the wake of antisemitic protests in Germany, the newspaper Der Spiegel interviewed Chancellor Olaf Scholz immediately upon his return from a visit to Israel. Among other statements, Scholz said, "We must extensively deport those who have no right to remain in Germany." This is indeed a surprising declaration, indicating a significant shift from the policy of his predecessor, Angela Merkel.
Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser took it one step further, asserting last week that Hamas supporters should be expelled. It's doubtful that this will actually happen. But it signifies that some in Germany recognize the severity of the problem.
Ben-Dror YeminiPhoto: Avigail UziAfter all, Germany knows that cries for the death of Jews and homes marked with the Star of David in the first act will end with these same homes getting pogromed in the third one. Another Kristallnacht? When you see the hatred emanating from those identifying with Hamas – anything is possible.
We are just at the beginning, before the ground offensive. Let's not deceive ourselves. It's not that members of the Green-Red coalition, of Islamists and progressive antisemites, are moved by the suffering in the Gaza Strip.
In Africa, just in Africa, Islamist groups killed 19,091 people in 2022. Many thousands more were killed in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries. Has anyone seen or heard of a protest for them? By Muslims? By human rights advocates? It didn't happen. Because it's not about sensitivity to human life. It's about hatred of Jews. We hope that riots will not occur. But there is a very serious fear that they indeed will.