After a string of antisemitic incidents in Kiel and controversial remarks at the Berlinale, the state of Schleswig‑Holstein seeks to tighten its criminal law. At a ministerial conference on 5 March, Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) will present a proposal that classifies hate against Jews and against Israel as a “particularly serious case of incitement to hatred”. Politico reports that the draft also calls for a noticeable increase in the minimum punishments for such offences and for a harsher response to assaults on peaceful protest participants.
Günther cites the recent attack on a pro‑Israel demonstration in Kiel and antisemitic statements made during the Berlinale as “unbearable expressions of antisemitic and anti‑Israeli hate”. He argues that antisemitic incidents have reached an intolerable scale, both quantitatively and qualitatively.
The proposal states that anti‑Israelism and antisemitism must be condemned in all respects, regardless of ideological background, and that the rule of law must confront them with all available means. Günther frames the motion as a broader principle: protecting Jewish life is a test of the country’s credibility. He warns that the pledge of “never again” must not become empty rhetoric, insisting that “this must not be our Germany in 2026”.