German chancellor marks Oct 7 with vow to fight antisemitism

On the third anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to combat antisemitism in his country while advocating for a two-state solution in the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Merz condemned far-left Die Linke, which has faced repeated criticism over alleged connections to pro-Palestinian activists, as a source of rising antisemitism in Germany.

The chancellor emphasized that Jewish people must be able to live without fear throughout the nation. Die Linke, which recently defeated Merz's centre-right Christian Democrats (CDU) in Berlin's regional election, is attempting to form a left-wing coalition government. The chancellor urged the Greens and centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) to distance themselves from Die Linke to uphold non-negotiable societal principles.

Merz also criticized the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) for its alleged ties to neo-Nazi circles. The Hamas-led attack on Oct 7, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people in Israel, while over 74,200 individuals died in Gaza due to Israel's retaliatory offensive. Germany has seen a surge in antisemitic incidents since the attack, with protests involving pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counter-protesters taking place in Berlin.