A Jewish student was seriously injured in an attack at the Free University of Berlin (FU) on Rosenthaler Platz in Mitte last Friday. The victim, 30-year-old Lahav Shapira, was allegedly recognized and assaulted by a Muslim fellow student of Arab origin. The incident is said to have a larger dimension than initially thought, as it possibly carries a political undertone.
Lahav Shapira had previously protested against pro-Palestinian actions at the FU and the trivialization of terror. He also expressed remembrance for the Israelis kidnapped by Islamist group Hamas, after their massacre in Israel on October 7th.
The victim’s brother, comedian Shahak Shapira, shared on Twitter that there was no political discussion prior to the attack. He states that the attacker recognized Lahav in the bar, followed him and his companion, spoke aggressively to them, and then punched Lahav in the face without warning.
Lahav’s mother, Tzipi Lev, reported that while in a bar with his girlfriend, Lahav felt he was being watched by someone he knew from university. As they were leaving the bar, the same person, an Arab, began attacking Lahav aggressively. He accused Lahav of posting photos of people kidnapped in the Gaza Strip during Hamas’s attack on Israel.
The family’s account contradicts the police report which described the incident as a dispute between students that escalated over differing views on the Middle East conflict. The police report states that the younger man hit the older man in the face several times, causing him to fall, and then kicked him while he was on the ground. Lahav suffered facial fractures but is reportedly doing well despite the serious injuries. The police managed to apprehend the attacker.
Lahav Shapira is the grandson of Amitzur Shapira, a coach and member of the Israeli delegation to the Munich Olympics who was murdered during the massacre of Israeli athletes by the Black September terrorist organization at the 1972 Summer Games. His mother stated that Lahav was known at the university as a Zionist, very much against anti-Semitism, advocating for Israel and for the release of abductees.
The Free University of Berlin responded to the incident by expressing their commitment to openness and tolerance, and denouncing any form of hate speech and violence. However, their statement did not mention the term anti-Semitism, drawing criticism from Shahak Shapira, who accused the university of turning a blind eye to ongoing safety issues for students of certain backgrounds.
