German Courts Echo Nazi Past

A court in the German city of Wuppertal and a regional court have both found that three Muslims who set fire to a Jewish synagogue did so as an act of political protest and therefore could not be convicted of anti-Semitism.

 

The court agreed with the defense argument that the fire was a protest against Israel's actions in the Gaza War.

 

Professor Alan Dershowitz blasted the decision.

 

"The idea that attacking a synagogue can be justified as an anti-Israel political protest rather than anti-Jewish hate act, is as absurd as saying that Kristallnacht was merely a protest against poor service by Jewish store owners," The Huffington Post reported he said.

 

The same court is reported to have twice dismissed charges against a group of local Muslim radicals who patrol the streets as "Sharia Police," warning citizens not to break Islamic law.

 

Meanwhile, Germany's supreme constitutional court refused to ban the far-right National Democratic Party, which many experts accuse of having Nazi roots. 

 

The NPD, which has been described by intelligence services as racist and anti-Semitic, uses some of the same language and policies as the Third Reich.