Press release:
The terrible antisemitic attack in Halle represents a further stage of escalation. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this attack. This cruel crime took place of all days on the highest Jewish holiday, the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, and has further intensified the great concerns of the Jewish community.
Elio Adler, the chairman of WerteInitiative – jüdisch-deutsche Positionen: “Our association exists in order to secure a Jewish future in Germany. This act of terror therefore strikes at the very core of our concern. Unfortunately, such an attack did not come as a surprise: it is the seed of hatred coming up. It is sown by right-wing extremists, Islamists and in part by left-wing extremists, and it falls on a society that finds it hard to defend its free and democratic values. It is time for Germany to decide how it deals with hatred of Jews and other forms of hatred that despise human beings. The approaches taken so far are evidently not sufficient.”
After reviewing the facts known so far about the Halle attack, the following emerges for us:
A)
How was it possible for the attacker to announce his act publicly in advance on relevant news boards and later to stream it live on the internet? The Christchurch attacker had already used the same news boards and, as with him, this apparently went entirely unnoticed by the security authorities?
The organisational separation requirement between intelligence services and the police must not lead to the misunderstanding that there is a ban on cooperation in terms of information and operations. Joint investigation teams are conceivable, as already exist internationally.
Furthermore, the relevant investigators of the Land police forces should be given unrestricted access to the Verfassungsschutz’s NADIS databases. Conversely, the Verfassungsschutz must be able to view the police’s INPOL data records for tracing persons and objects.
B)
The security authorities misjudged the threat situation of the Halle synagogue. It ought to have been known from antisemitic attacks worldwide that attackers often choose targets that are barely protected or unprotected, and they should therefore as a matter of principle place all synagogues, Jewish and Israeli institutions in Germany under appropriate police protection . The communities should furthermore receive state support for the training, equipping and operation of their own security personnel.
C)
The chairman of the Halle community stated that it took a very long time before emergency services arrived. The attacker was able to rampage unhindered for around 16 minutes. We call on the police forces of the Länder to review their security concepts and, where necessary, to improve them so that they can guarantee a significantly faster arrival of emergency services in dangerous situations.
D)
What is needed at federal level is a round table on the security of the Jewish community in Germany, modelled on the Land of Berlin. It should serve the exchange of information and the development of best practices and standards regarding the security of the Jewish community.
E)
The police forces of the Länder repeatedly run up against capacity limits. The Länder need to create more posts and to remunerate them in such a way that they can actually be filled. By increasing its personnel, the federal government could position the Bundespolizei in such a way that it supports the Länder forces for limited periods at times of peak demand (e.g. Jewish holidays or high-profile events).
F)
The deterrent effect of penalties must be strengthened. This requires training and further education for the police, public prosecutors’ offices and judges, the content of which is adapted to the changed realities (e.g. Section 46(2) StGB).
G)
Many further measures in the areas of funding, education, foreign and domestic policy have a direct influence on the security of Jewish citizens of Germany. Associations such as WerteInitiative continuously raise these with political decision-makers.
