Protesters Disrupt Israeli Lawmaker Giving Lecture at Berlin’s Humboldt University, Call Her ‘Child Killer’
by Rachel Frommer
A member of the Israeli Knesset was called a “child killer” by protesters who shouted her down during a lecture on Tuesday at Berlin’s Humboldt University, the Hebrew news site NRG reported.
Aliza Lavie, of the centrist Yesh Atid party, was several minutes into her talk on “Life in Israel — Terror, Bias and the Chances for Peace” when demonstrators — including some Israelis, according to the report — began chanting and cursing at the politician, including telling her that the blood of Gazan children was on her hands.
One protester reportedly identified himself as a “journalist from Gaza” and stated he was quoting materials from the controversial Israeli NGOs B’Tselem and Breaking the Silence.
In footage of the protest, one hears Lavie stating calmly over the shouting, “I came here to talk, I came here to listen.”
Security reportedly had to escort Lavie and her group out of a back exit, as some 20 demonstrators were waiting for them outside.
Lavie was in Germany with a delegation of Yesh Atid political activists, whose stops included talks with government officials, Jewish leaders, public figures and students.
The protest took place after the delegation had visited a monument in the Bebelplatz, a public square near the Humboldt library, where in 1933 German students burned some 20,000 books written by Jews and political opponents of the Nazis.
Devorah Weinstein, an 82-year-Holocaust survivor with the group, said the protesters “came from the beginning to destroy and ruin [the event], but it won’t do them any good.”
“We did and will continue to do our work,” said Weinstein. “Many people attended — including those who disagree with us — to listen and ask questions. I feel bad for the group of violent rioters, but I am not afraid and I will continue with this work.”
Lavie wrote on Facebook on Wednesday, “They will not silence us.”
“From Germany of the 1930s to Germany of 2017 — the hatred of the Jewish nation still exists, the incitement and lies still exist, but with one difference,” Lavie wrote. “We won’t be quiet any longer. We won’t hide our faces any longer. Today, we are strong enough to stand determined and insistent for the truth everywhere — in Israel and the world.”
Watch footage of the protest below: