Berlin shop owner repeatedly attacked after displaying posters condemning antisemitism

A 67-year-old wheelchair-user, Hans-Georg Lindenau, a shopkeeper in Berlin's Kreuzberg district, faced repeated attacks from groups of youths after displaying posters opposing antisemitism to commemorate the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, according to Berlin police. Lindenau reported the first incident on Wednesday, October 7, when a group of six youths entered his store on Falckensteinstrasse, verbally abused him, and sprayed him with pepper spray.

On Thursday, another group of up to six youths returned to the store and sprayed him with pepper spray again. As Lindenau prepared to close the shop, the suspects returned once more, spraying and beating him. Lindenau complained of facial pain following the assault.

The harassment continued on Friday, with eyewitnesses reporting a group of up to eight youths arriving on electric scooters, punching and kicking the entrance door before fleeing. The door sustained damage during the incident.

Lindenau, who runs M99, a store selling literature, posters, and accessories associated with left-wing protest movements, estimated the attackers to be between 10 and 15 years old. They had allegedly asked Lindenau if he was Jewish during one of the attacks. One incident involved the assailants striking Lindenau with a starter pistol.

Berlin police transferred the investigation to the State Security Division, which is examining a possible antisemitic motive. No arrests have been reported. In 2025, Berlin recorded 2,268 antisemitic offenses, a 24.3% increase compared to the previous year and more than six times the number in 2022. Over 2,197 incidents were documented by RIAS, an organization monitoring antisemitic incidents, in 2025, averaging approximately six per day.

Despite this decline from 2024, the figure remained significantly higher than in the years before the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.