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<\/a><\/p>\nCharlotte Knobloch, president of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, speaks during the christening of the new electric motorboat “Gmund.” Sept. 1, 2026. (Photo by Peter Kneffel\/picture alliance via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
A witness found graffiti scrawled in white ink on a park bench and a trash bin in Munich\u2019s English Garden park, threatening the life of 93-year-old Holocaust survivor Charlotte Knobloch, , the Munich Police Department said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Citing police sources, The Abendzeitung on Sept. 11 reported the threat contained the phrase \u201cDie AfD hat gewonnen, morgen h\u00e4ngen wir die Knobloch,\u201d which translates to, \u201cThe AfD has won, tomorrow we\u2019ll hang Knobloch.\u201d A police spokesperson had not responded to JTA\u2019s request for confirmation of the threat content by press time.<\/p>\n
The witness reported the graffiti to police and an investigation was launched on Wednesday, Sept. 9, police said.<\/p>\n
Knobloch, chair of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, canceled plans to attend a public event as an audience member right after learning of the threat, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has confirmed with the Jewish Community in Munich.<\/p>\n
The Munich Criminal Investigation Department has categorized the incident as a case of incitement to hatred, threats, and property damage, and has asked witnesses to contact police.<\/p>\n
The AfD won 43.8% of the votes in the state of Saxony-Anhalt on Sept. 6. The election set the stage for a right-wing party to control a German state government for the first time since the Nazi era. But the AfD fell three seats short of a majority and has yet to secure enough support to form a government, Reuters reported Sept. 11.<\/p>\n
Knobloch, an ardent critic of the AfD, had said the party\u2019s record of success \u201cfrightens me.\u201d In a statement released Sept. 6 by her office, she said that she \u201ccouldn\u2019t have imagined even in my worst nightmares that right-wing extremists could win elections in Germany again in this way.\u201d She has long called for the party to be banned.<\/p>\n
The Department for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS) has a reporting mechanism for witnesses or victims, and provides statistics to federal and local authorities. Antisemitic crimes may be motivated by left, right or Islamic extremism, but the specific reference to the AfD and a specific target made this case unusual, spokesperson Felix Balandat said. \u201cWe have not recorded anything like that before,\u201d he told JTA.<\/p>\n
Munich Mayor Dominik Krause (Greens) asked in a public address, \u201cHow many more death threats, how much Nazi rhetoric, how many more deportation announcements do we actually need\u201d before the federal government initiates steps towards banning the AfD.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in Berlin, a woman was injured in a suspected antisemitic attack, according to city police.<\/p>\n
Early on Sept. 11, two men attacked a 43-year-old woman in the Mitte section of Berlin. The attackers, who fled the scene, commented on her wearing a Star of David and shouted antisemitic insults at her, Berlin police said.<\/p>\n
One of the men allegedly attacked her with a broken glass bottle, police said. While defending herself, she suffered several cuts to her hand. Paramedics transported her to a hospital for treatment. The State Security Unit of the State Criminal Police Office has taken over the investigation.<\/p>\n
According to RIAS, more than 2,000 antisemitic and anti-Israel insults, threats, acts of vandalism and attacks were registered in Berlin in 2025, slightly down from 2024 but still more than twice as many as before the attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n