Following a report by Arutz Sheva on the mass-desecration of Berlin's famous Holocaust Memorial by hoards of drug hooligans, which sparked international outrage, a veteran Berlin Parliamentarian and anti-extremism campaigner has expressed his outrage at the incident and vowed to protect the memorial - personally if necessary.
The Holocaust memorial consists of thousands of rectangular gray concrete monoliths - metaphors for the graves of six million Jews who perished during the Nazi genocide - and covers an area not much smaller than Trafalgar square in London.
In the shocking footage recorded below, a group of hooligans can be seen climbing and jumping on the monoliths, lighting firecrackers, urinating and defecating onto the memorial itself.
Holocaust memorial desecration:
Erol Özkaraca, a Social-Democratic member of the Berlin State Chamber of Deputies for the district of Neuköln told Arutz Sheva that he was surprised at the lack of attention the incident received in Germany itself.
"I am very surprised the German media has not covered this yet, that no German journalists reported on it," he remarked. "What happened was absolutely disgusting. If the police don’t do something, I will, if necessary, work to organize an initiative of citizens to peacefully protect the memorial; I will go there myself and stand there and protect it should that be necessary."
The trust that runs the memorial also expressed its alarm and has promised to review security.
Jenifer Stolz , a press officer for the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, revealed to Arutz Sheva that this year's shocking events were not the first.
"As a result of the its proximity to the Brandenburg Gate [in central Berlin - ed.] ...and with up to one million visitors attending the largest annual New Year's Eve party, there have already been smaller incidents at the Memorial in past years," she admitted.
Stolz said that for precisely that reason the trust Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe) trust had "commissioned a security firm" to patrol the area throughout the night on New Year's Eve. She added however that the memorial trust's director, Uwe Neumärker, was "alarmed" at the most recent incident, the extent of which, she noted, was "unprecedented".
"The Memorial Trust will in the coming days, together with the security firm and Berlin Police, attempt to clarify how these occurrences came about. It shall also be determining what measures can be enforced to better protect" the memorial, she promised. Such measures could include the possibility of fencing-off the memorial grounds and placing additional WCs outside the grounds to prevent drunken revelers from defecating on the monument, as occurred during the recent incident.
She concluded that "such behavior will not be tolerated by us and we will apply ourselves to ensuring that such incidents do not repeat themselves."
Neo-Nazis express delight
But such measures may not prove sufficient given the apparently systematic way in which the memorial was specifically targeted, apparently by right-wing extremists.
Neo-Nazi groups greeted the desecration of the Holocaust Memorial with utter euphoria, with some extremists proudly admitting their part in the mass-desecration of the memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
The "White Nationalist" site "Stormfront" saw numerous posts celebrating the sick act. One Germany-based Nazi proudly recounted how numerous fascists defecated there to express their genocidal Anti-Semitism.
He wrote: "Every nationalist has a duty to take a p*** in that monstrosity at least once in their lives. I know of quite a few who have laid a log in there as well, as a mark of respect, you understand :)".
Yet another Nazi wrote "Well, they had to go SOMEWHERE! Believe it or not, I WAS at the Brandenberg [sic] Gate for New Years Eve when it was 2012. Trying to get to your destination is INSANE. There is really nowhere for you to go".
Other extremists used the opportunity to engage in Holocaust-denial, including one who voiced his hope that "it was done on purpose and more young people are waking up to the lies of the Holohoax".
User "Hungry Brian", who listed his location as the "Mavi Marmara" (a reference to the Islamist-led flotilla to Gaza in 2010), described the memorial as the "Jew's hideous markings on an otherwise beautiful city" and claimed that the desecration of it "will make it smell as ugly as it looks". Another reverted to the old-time anti-Semitic tactic of blaming the Jews, and claimed the hooligans who desecrated the memorial were part of a "Jewish conspiracy".
Berlin Police claim protection would be 'disproportionate'
Responding to a question over the apparent dearth of police at the site, Berlin Police claimed that providing a large police presence at the site would be "disproportionate", although it also pledged that arrangements would be reviewed.
Thomas Neuendorf, director of the press office of Berlin Police claimed that "There were too many people at the Memorial for individual police officers to be able to effectively intervene.
"Protecting the memorial with a large police presence on New Years’ Eve night would be disproportionate," he continued, and said that instead, the force would work together with the memorial's trust to implement the aforementioned security arrangements, including erecting a physical barrier between the site and the street.
But Özkaraca said that closing off the site was not the solution, and called for tougher police action.
"Fencing it off isn’t the right solution," he said. "The memorial should not be closed for all people, but protected from drunkards. What it needs is a police presence to deter and stop people from doing what they did and if necessary make arrests."
"A memorial needs to be supported by society; it can’t be closed to it," he added, urging Berliners to find "the civil courage to protect the memorial”
Strangely, the Central Council of Jews in Germany declined to comment on the story.
When asked for a statement on the issue they replied "Thank you for your request. We are sorry that our President, Dr Grauman, can’t fulfil your wish for a statement because of his tight schedule. I ask for your understanding."