A shop owner in Flensburg, northern Germany, has triggered outrage far beyond the city limits after posting a sign in his store window that read, “Jews are forbidden entry here.” The note, written in large letters, added beneath: “Nothing personal, not even antisemitism, I just can’t stand you.”
The owner, identified as 60-year-old Hans Velten Reisch, claimed the sign was meant as a protest against Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip. “Jews live in Israel, and I can’t tell who supports the strikes and who doesn’t,” he told a local paper.
Police were called on Wednesday evening. According to spokesperson Philipp Renoncourt, the sign was removed “to prevent danger” and to avoid escalation or possible threats to public order. However, local reporters said the message did not disappear completely: while no longer hanging in the shop window, it was still visible on a wall opposite the entrance door inside the shop.
The incident has provoked heated discussion in Flensburg and across Germany, sparking strong reactions on social media. Some users said they felt transported back to the Nazi era. Calls for boycotts of the shop circulated online, while others demanded harsher measures. On Thursday morning, the storefront was smeared with graffiti, including the slogan “Nazis out.”
Flensburg Mayor Fabian Geyer sharply condemned the act. “This is a reminder of the darkest chapters of Germany’s history and has absolutely no place in this city,” he said. “This is not an expression of opinion, but a clear statement against Jews in our society.”
Germany’s commissioner for combating antisemitism, Felix Klein, condemned the act as “antisemitism in its purest form” and drew parallels to the Nazi period. “This is a very clear case of antisemitism, and we must intervene,” he said in an interview. “This must not be tolerated in any way.”
Federal Education Minister Karin Prien of the CDU, the first Jewish woman to serve as a federal minister in modern German history, also spoke out. “Anyone who expresses or justifies antisemitism opposes everything our democratic life represents,” she told a local newspaper. “We stand firmly with the Jewish community. Let there be no doubt: We will not tolerate antisemitism—not in Flensburg, not in Germany, not anywhere in the world.”
Flensburg police confirmed to Stern magazine that at least four complaints had been filed against Reisch. The public prosecutor’s office is now examining possible charges, including incitement of the people.
For his part, Reisch rejects accusations of extremism. “I’m not a Nazi,” he said in an interview with local media. He described himself as “a little to the left, a little to the right—but not radical.” He insisted he has “nothing against Jews who clearly distance themselves from the war.”
Reisch admitted he was surprised by the reaction. “I never thought it would make such a big splash,” he said, stressing that the sign was originally only meant for his “immediate environment.” Defending his decision, he argued: “I’m not inciting hatred, I’m just saying what I think.”
