Anti-Semitism in German School?

A police investigation has been initiated against a lecturer in one of Germany's oldest high schools after a student complained that he had to listen to a lecturer’s anti-Semitic statements during a physics class. The event took place at the Karl Friedrich Gymnasium in Mannheim, a high school with 300 years of unbroken history.

The matter was reported on FightHatred.com, a website devoted to exposing anti-Semitism.

Following the alleged incident, the student spoke to Charlotte Knobloch, the recent president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, who encouraged him to file a complaint. He did, and the Mannheim Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation.

The Wormser Zeitung reported that the Government Bureau of Karlsruhe, as the superior authority, has already initiated disciplinary proceedings against the teacher suspected in the matter. The prosecutor's office refused to elaborate on the specific contents of the comments allegedly made by the lecturer. The results of the investigation are expected no later than February.

The Karl Friedrich Gymnasium in Mannheim offers courses on Jewish religion and Hebrew, and attracts many Jewish students.

In Germany, anti-Semitic incitement is a criminal offense, punishable by a prison sentence of up to one year or a fine.