A 15-year-old Muslim girl was assaulted by her classmates in a school in Berlin’s Wilhelmstadt district for wearing a necklace with the word “Allah” inscribed on it, according to Berlin police.
The girl was physically assaulted by at least five classmates in the school bathroom, causing her necklace to be ripped off her neck on Friday afternoon, November 24, the police said.
A teacher who became aware of the the assault provided first aid to the victim who was taken to the hospital by rescue workers.
Police are investigating the crime’s background and checking for religious affiliations.
In recent weeks, Germany has experienced a surge in anti-Muslim hate crimes, largely due to far-right politicians’ propaganda and biased media coverage of the Gaza conflict.
Muslim communities in Germany have reported incidents of verbal and physical attacks, vandalism of mosques and Islamic centres, and online harassment, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported.
Germany has the second-largest Muslim population in Western Europe, following France, with nearly 5.3 million Muslims out of a total population of over 84 million.
