Anti-Israel and anti-US rallies and the sight of Israeli flags burned on German streets have triggered the German politicians' concerns. All people who live in Germany must understand its historical responsibility to Israel, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Friday at an event marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the Jewish state.
“This responsibility does not end for the people who were born [after the Holocaust] and has no exceptions for the immigrants,” he said, adding that it is “not a subject to discussion for anyone living in Germany or willing to live there.” Justice Minister Heiko Maas took the idea further, suggesting that the issue of Holocaust should be a central part of the German integration courses for refugees and migrants.
Read more
© ReutersGermany condemns anti-Semitism & Israeli flag burning at pro-Palestinian rallies in Berlin (VIDEOS)
“I believe it is absolutely necessary to make Holocaust and its significance for our society a central topic in our integration courses,” the minister said in a piece written for Der Spiegel weekly. “Lessons learnt from the Holocaust must become the key message of those [courses],” he added. At the same time, the minister pointed out that the German authorities would not tolerate any form of anti-Semitism, including that brought to Germany by refugees and migrants from the Middle East.