Dortmund is latest German city to ban yellow stars at COVID protests
'Anyone who displays the Jewish star in this way is trivialising the planned murder of millions of Jews by National Socialist Germany and endangering public peace'
Another German city has decided to ban the display of yellow stars at demonstrations against coronavirus lockdown measures.
Police in Dortmund, in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, announced last Thursday that, effective immediately, the wearing of the yellow Star of David printed with the word “unvaccinated” is banned at protests against government measures meant to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jews in Nazi Germany and most occupied lands were forced to wear identifying symbols, including yellow stars printed with the word “Jew.”
Such symbols have become common at demonstrations against COVID-19 restrictions in Europe and North America, with slogans often printed in Hebraicized script. Some protestors also carry signs comparing Holocaust victim Anne Frank or German World War II resistance activist Sophie Scholl to protesters against coronavirus lockdown measures.
“Anyone who displays the Jewish star in this way is trivialising the planned murder of millions of Jews by National Socialist Germany and endangering public peace,” Dortmund Police Chief Gregor Lange said.
Those applying for demonstration permits will now have to comply with the ban against displaying symbols that trivialise the Holocaust, police told the Evangelical Press Service, and violators will face charges.
Several German states are considering similar regulations — something that Germany’s national commissioner on antisemitism, Felix Klein, has been calling for since the early days of the pandemic. Munich banned the practice in June 2020 and Wiesbaden followed suit in July 2020.
Bremen is considering such a move, according to the city’s Senator of Justice Claudia Schilling. Speaking last week with the German media consortium Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland, Schilling said the practice of associating the yellow star “with one’s own vaccination status is not only in bad taste, but in my eyes fulfils the criminal offense of incitement of the people.”
Germany does not yet require that citizens be vaccinated, but the Bundestag, or parliament, has been considering introducing such a measure.
According to Die Welt commentator Till-Reimer Stoldt, a “lunatic” fringe of protesters is suggesting — by displaying such symbols — that Germany has the secret goal of shooting or gassing millions of unvaccinated Germans, the way the Nazis murdered 6 millions Jews in the Holocaust.
“They proclaim that the unvaccinated are ‘the new Jews,’” and some individuals have even called Germany a “Corona dictatorship,” he wrote in an editorial praising the announcement by police chief Lange.
“For a few lunatics, this might sound like a Corona dictatorship, but for the overwhelming majority, it sounds like democracy standing up for itself,” Stoldt wrote.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
