German shopkeeper convicted over display of anti-Semitic sign
A man in Germany has been given a six-month suspended sentence for displaying an anti-Semitic notice in his shop.
The court in the northern German city of Flensburg ruled on Monday that in September last year, the 60-year-old displayed a notice in a clearly visible position in his second-hand shop for around four hours which included the phrase “Jews are banned from these premises!!!”
As a condition of his probation, he must pay a fine of €1,200 ($1,390) to the Ladelund Concentration Camp Memorial.
By posting the notice, the man had incited hatred against Jews living in Germany and attacked their human dignity by treating them with contempt, the judge ruled. The verdict is subject to appeal.
The defendant had admitted putting up the notice and had a statement to that effect read out by his lawyer. He regretted the offence and had not intended to hurt the feelings of the Jewish community. He would refrain from similar acts in the future, he said in his statement.
According to the judge, many complaints about the sign had been received from Germany and abroad. The man had only removed the note from the shop window after being firmly told to do so by the police, and had subsequently hung it up inside his shop.
