Illustrative: Anti-Israel protesters march in Germany, March 26, 2025. Photo: Sebastian Willnow/dpa via Reuters Connect

Anti-Israel protests in the southern German town of Langenau have recently escalated into physical violence against congregants, after a local pastor publicly condemned the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.

In the German town near the city of Ulm, anti-Israel agitators gather every weekend outside St. Martin’s Church, targeting local pastor Ralf Sedlak and his congregation, accusing them of ignoring the suffering of Palestinians in the Gaza conflict.

Last weekend, the activists once again protested outside the church, leaving behind bloodied baby dolls, severed limbs, antisemitic caricatures on signs, and a blood-stained teddy bear at the church’s entrance, according to German media reports.

They also hung a banner depicting a caricature of a Jew wearing a gas mask, supposedly “bathing in the blood of Palestinian victims” — with Germany and the United States shown as supporting the scene.

Gottesdienst nur unter Polizeischutz: In #Langenau eskalierten israelfeindliche Proteste gegen den evangelischen Pfarrer zuletzt sogar bis zu Handgreiflichkeiten mit Gemeindemitgliedern der Kirche. Perfider Auslöser war die Positionierung des Pfarrers gegen den Angriff der Hamas… pic.twitter.com/O94fLeFZ9I

— Jüdisches Forum (JFDA e.V.) (@JFDA_eV) July 14, 2025

Given the escalating threats, local authorities placed the church under police protection after around 35 protesters gathered early Sunday morning, deliberately positioning themselves at the church exit to verbally confront worshippers, Bild and the Jüdische Allgemeine reported.

During last weekend’s incidents, the church was vandalized with swastikas, and Sedlak was subjected to insults and threats.

In response to the attacks, Langenau’s mayor, Daria Henning, announced a general order banning gatherings near religious services to counter hostility toward Sedlak and the congregation.

However, it remains uncertain whether this order will hold up in court, as the municipal administration had previously declined to take such action due to legal protections for freedom of assembly.

The Orthodox Rabbinical Conference of Germany issued a statement condemning the attacks and standing in solidarity with Sedlak and his congregation, emphasizing that they deserve respect and support.

Sedlak’s “stance is a powerful example of true Christian responsibility in action and a reflection of the values that uphold our free society,” the statement read.

“What is taking place outside his church can no longer be seen as a legitimate protest. It is a deliberate and systematic disturbance of religious peace and an assault on the spiritual integrity of his congregation,” it continued.

Germany has experienced a sharp spike in antisemitism following the Oct. 7 massacre, amid the war in Gaza.

The number of antisemitic incidents in Germany almost doubled last year, the semi-official German body that tracks antisemitism reported last month.

The Federal Research and Information Point for Antisemitism (RIAS) said it had registered 8,627 incidents of violence, vandalism, and threats against Jews in Germany, almost twice the 4,886 recorded in 2023, and far ahead of 2020’s 1,957.

In just the first six months of 2024 alone, the number of antisemitic incidents in Berlin surpassed the total for all of the prior year and reached the highest annual count on record, according separate figured from RIAS.

The figures in Berlin were the highest count for a single year since the federally-funded body began monitoring antisemitic incidents in 2015, showing the German capital averaged nearly eight anti-Jewish outrages a day from January to June last year.

According to research from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), police registered 5,154 antisemitic incidents in Germany in 2023, a 95 percent increase compared to the previous year, with a huge spike occurring after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 atrocities in Israel.