A 60-year-old man was attacked on Saturday evening in Berlin-Schöneberg. According to police, a conversation that began harmlessly on a park bench on Gleditschstraße became an argument. The attacker is said to have made antisemitic remarks and then knocked the 60-year-old to the ground.
At about 8 p.m. the man was sitting on the bench with an acquaintance when an unknown person spoke to him and offered him a beer. During the conversation the stranger asked whether the 60-year-old was Jewish. After he said yes, the unknown man is said to have made antisemitic statements, then sprayed him with beer and thrown a full beer can at him. The can missed.
When the man tried to leave, the unknown person is said to have knocked him down with a punch and then struck him several times. Only after a witness alerted the police did the attacker stop and flee toward Hohenstaufenstraße, leaving the man on the ground. The 60-year-old suffered several bruises on his face and a laceration. His glasses and coat were also damaged.
The police state-security unit of the state criminal police office has taken over the investigation on suspicion of dangerous bodily harm with an antisemitic background.