Jews and gays should hide their identity in ‘Arab neighbourhoods’ where people have ‘sympathies for terrorist groups’, says Berlin police chief

Jews and gays should not disclose their identities in “Arab neighbourhoods” where people have “sympathies for terrorist groups”, Berlin’s police chief has warned.

Barbara Slowik said: “There are areas of the city, we need to be perfectly honest here, where I would advise people who wear a kippah or are openly gay to be more careful.

“There are certain neighbourhoods where the majority of people of Arab origin live, who also have sympathies for terrorist groups,” adding that these individuals were regularly “openly hostile towards Jews”.

Speaking to Berliner Zeitungm she said that “violent crimes against Jewish people are few and far between, but every act is one too many”.

Slowik asserted that her intention was not to stigmatise any community, stating: “I do not want to ‘defame’ any particular group of people as perpetrators.”

Earlier this month, a Jewish youth football team in Germany was placed under police protection after they were “hunted down” by an armed pro-Palestinian mob.

Players from Makkabi Berlin’s youth team said that they were chased by a crowd wielding sticks and knives following a game against local rivals last week.

The team, composed of players aged 13 and 16, said that they were pursued by a group of Arab youths.

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The group chanted “free Palestine” and “f***ing Jews”, before they threatened Makkabi Berlin youth members with knives and sticks.

The under-17 match took place in Neukölln, a neighbourhood known for its large Arab and Turkish population.

Schwarz-Weiss Neukölln, the opposition team, said they would identify and throw out the people involved.

The same night, Israeli football fans were attacked in Amsterdam after a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax.

Earlier this month, a fan of the Berlin club who was wearing a scarf in the team’s colours was punched by an individual who asked him if he was Jewish.

Israelis who are travelling abroad have also been warned not to disclose their identity, and be wary if their destination country has a “large migrant population from countries opposed to Israel”.

Neukolln, the Berlin district with the highest Arab population, is also well-known for its LGBT nightlife establishments.

The two groups have coexisted for many years, however there have been incidents of gay couples being physically assaulted.