A 67-year-old shopkeeper who uses a wheelchair was repeatedly attacked by groups of youths in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district after displaying posters opposing antisemitism to mark the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, Berlin police said on Saturday.
The shopkeeper, Hans-Georg Lindenau, called police to his store on Falckensteinstrasse on Friday evening and reported a series of attacks that began on Wednesday, October 7, according to a police statement.
At approximately 7:20 p.m. on Wednesday, a group of about six youths entered the store, verbally abused Lindenau, and sprayed him with pepper spray.
On Thursday, at around 7 p.m., a group of up to six youths returned to the store and again sprayed him with pepper spray. Lindenau cried out for help, prompting the youths to flee.
However, the suspects returned shortly afterward as Lindenau was preparing to close the shop. According to police, they again sprayed him with pepper spray and beat him. Following the assault, Lindenau complained of pain in his face.
The harassment continued on Friday. Several eyewitnesses told police they saw a group of up to eight youths arrive at the store on electric scooters, punch and kick the entrance door, and then flee. The door was damaged in the incident.
Lindenau runs M99, a store selling literature, posters, and accessories associated with left-wing protest movements.
Speaking to the German newspaper Bild, Lindenau estimated that the attackers were between 10 and 15 years old and said they had asked him whether he was Jewish. He also said that during one of the attacks, the assailants struck him with a starter pistol.
Berlin police said the investigation had been transferred to the State Security Division of the city’s criminal police, which is examining a possible antisemitic motive. No arrests were reported.
Over 2,000 antisemitic offenses recorded in Berlin in 2025
The attacks come amid a wave of antisemitism in Berlin since the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre.
According to Berlin police figures, 2,268 antisemitic offenses were recorded in the city in 2025, an increase of 24.3% compared with the previous year and more than six times the number recorded in 2022.
RIAS, an organization that monitors antisemitic incidents, documented 2,197 incidents in Berlin in 2025, an average of approximately six per day.
Although that represented a decline from the 2,521 incidents recorded in 2024, the figure remained significantly higher than in the years preceding the war.
Last week, ahead of the third anniversary of the massacre, RIAS warned that antisemitism remained widespread in Berlin in 2026.
The organization said Jewish residents were avoiding certain locations and reducing their presence in public spaces because of concerns for their personal safety.
