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Jewish student to sue Berlin university after hate attack left him with brain haemorrhage
The student claims the Free University of Berlin has failed to deal with antisemitism
July 18, 2025 14:15
The student claims the Free University of Berlin has failed to deal with antisemitism
July 18, 2025 14:15A Jewish student in Berlin plans to sue his university over what he alleges is its failure to combat antisemitism after a racist attack left him with a brain haemorrhage.
Lahav Shapira was assaulted in February 2024 by a fellow student at the Free University of Berlin (FU), named by a court as Mustufa S.
The brutal attack left him Shapira major facial fractures, significant eye damage and a brain injury.
Mustufa S was sentenced to three years in prison. The court found evidence that he had been motivated by antisemitism, including a video his phone in which his friend referred to Shapira as a “Jewish son of a bitch”.
The court also noted the attacker’s opposition to Shapira’s removal of antisemitic posters on campus, including those from groups said to have legitimised the October 7 Hamas terror attacks and questioned Israel’s right to exist.
In a separate incident, Shapria claimed he was grabbed, pushed and insulted after attempting to walk into a lecture hall where a pro-Palestine protest was being held in December 2023. This incident is also reportedly subject to legal action.
Shapira now accuses FU of failing to deal with Jew-hatred and therefore violating the Berlin Higher Education Act.
The act states that universities have an obligation to prevent discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnic origin, racist or antisemitic attribution, and to get rid of any existing discrimination.
Shapira's mother, Tzipi Lev, said: “We won’t be silent about this. We already have a bloody history here, but I’m not afraid. I raised my sons to be proud of their Judaism and their Israeli identity. If we start to fear, we lose our right to exist.”
She also said Mustafa S was "full of hate".
Being attacked twice by two different students in two separate incidents led Shapira to come to the conclusion that the FU must not be adhering to Berlin Higher Education Act.
The FU disputed Shapira's claims, insisting it meets its obligations in combating campus hate. It called for both the case to be dropped.
A court has ruled, however, that the university will have to answer the question of whether it is doing enough to tackle antisemitism.
Shapira's lawyer, Kristin Pietrzyk, said that the court had made itself “very clear” and the university “must explain itself”.
The case against FU is expected to be heard in October.
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