Berlin pub victim of alleged arson attack, following months of pro-Hamas graffiti

A bar in Berlin's Neukölln district was the target of an arson attack on Sunday, in what one manager called "an attempted murder," German news announced on Sunday night. 

Assailants, who are yet to be identified, set fire to the Bajszel bar and taped its doors shut. One of the managers was still in the bar, leading another worker to tell Tagesspiegel that the arson was a murder attempt.

According to one of the managers, in a conversation with the daily Berlin newspaper, the pub has been graffitied with antisemitic slogans almost daily, including multiple pro-Hamas slogans over the past week.

Last Monday, the perpetrators sprayed anti-Israel and antisemitic messages on the pub's storefront, as well as an upside-down red triangle, a symbol frequently associated with Hamas. Other slogans, such as "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," and the words "Hamas - my life" in Arabic, have appeared on the windows and tables of the bar.

„Es sieht so aus, als wurde ein Brandsatz auf unseren Laden geworfen worden. Gleichzeitig wurde das Türschloss verklebt & es befand sich noch ein Betreiber von uns im Laden”, berichtet Andrea, Mitbetreiberin des #Bajszel in #Neukölln . Etwa 200 - 300 Personen zeigen Solidarität. pic.twitter.com/wjpb61xBo5

— Solveig Zilly (@SolveigZilly) September 29, 2024

The managers have reported each incident.

Details of the arson

The arson attack took place in the early hours of Sunday morning between 5 and 6 a.m. A firefighter chanced upon a burning wastepaper basket on the facade of the pub at 6:15 am, which he subsequently extinguished with water, according to reports.

He was joined by other firefighters, who collectively disposed of the remains of the basket. German state security has begun an investigation into the connection between the fire and the graffiti.

No one was wounded in the attack, and the pub's interior was unharmed.

Later on Sunday, a group of supporters gathered outside the pub to show solidarity. The police said 200 to 300 people attended the rally. The German-Israeli Society, the Mideast Freedom Forum Berlin and the Neukölln District Office have signed a joint statement expressing support for “Bajszel”.

However, according to Tagesspiegel and Berliner Zeitung, the police officer discounted the graffiti as being hate-based or racist, claiming it was merely damage to property.

A slogan reading "F*** Zionism" with red triangles was deemed non-dangerous and without political content, the report added. The bar's manager called the police response "very sobering." 

One of the managers told independent journalist Solveig Zilly that the bar had no police protection.

They told Berliner Zeitung that it was "frustrating" that the police were not taking this "new dimension of violence" seriously.

The bar's connection to the Jewish community

Jewish- or Israel-themed events are often held at the pub, including a lecture on the BDS campaign, and a film about Holocaust survivor Albrecht Weinberg.

"Our bar is a public discussion space, and controversial discussions are allowed, especially at events," one of the managers told Tagesspiegel.

"Unfortunately, we have had to realize that part of the movement that describes itself as pro-Palestinian is increasingly acting like an authoritarian mob. That's how we have to deal with it – there's no room for discussion anymore."

Martin Hikel, the mayor of Neukölln, said that the arson attack was "the terrible climax of several attacks against the Bajszel."

"The violence against people and institutions that support Israel must stop,” he said, “and such perpetrators must be caught and convicted."