Antisemitic attack ‘negligible’ compared to German police brutality against me, victim says

Prof Melamed said that while the attack on him had been unpleasant, “it was negligible in comparison with the brutality of the Bonn policemen.”

He wrote on Facebook: “In the following months, the Bonn police and political authorities did everything within their power to deflect the blame from the brutality of the German state agents, assign that blame to BZ, and use the incident to incite animosity against minorities and immigrants.

“As part of this attempt, the police even tried to frame BZ for the head wounds they, not he, had caused me.”

He said he had boycotted the trial because he had not been allowed to provide testimony despite frequent requests.

BZ was jailed to four-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted on a number of charges including robbery, abusive language and the attack on Prof Melamed.

Bonn Police Chief Ursula Brohl-Sowa said it had been “a terrible and regrettable misunderstanding” and apologised to Prof Melamed in person the morning after the incident last year.

German prosecutors dropped an investigation into the police officers’ conduct in March, saying the tactics were “justified measures under police law”.