German police reported that the Moroccan national has been temporarily detained, pending investigation into incitement of racial hatred.
Rabat -A Moroccan national has been detained in Germany on suspicion of anti-semitic hate speech, which is a criminal offense in the European country.
On Friday, June 21, police announced the arrest of the Moroccan national, who is accused of “threatening, insulting and spitting” at two Jews in Hamburg, a port city in northern Germany.
The two Jewish men called the police for help, according to Associated Press
After a confrontation with a police officer, the Moroccan national allegedly tried to escape.
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“He turned to the two men and spat at them,” AP reported.
The security services added in their statement that the Moroccan national, who spoke in Arabic and German, attempted to resist, which caused them to handcuff him.
German media said that the two men involved in the incident were a rabbi and a member of the German Jewish community.
While police initially detained the Moroccan national for anti-Semitism, he was then released pending further investigations into the circumstances of the case.
Volksverhetzung, or incitement to racial hatred, is a punishable offense in Germany under section 130 of the country’s penal code.
The crime includes any insulting or denigrating speech in a public place to other citizens reasons for race or religion. Section 130 applies to non-German citizens when the hate speech occurs within German territory.
If found guilty of Volksverhetzung, the Moroccan national could face up to five years in prison.
