Far-right leader wanted to enter the synagogue - Jewish students intervened

Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, deputy chairman of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, attempted to attend a ceremony marking seven years since the antisemitic attack on the Halle synagogue. Activists from the Union of Jewish Students in Germany formed a human chain and blocked his entry, forcing him to leave.

Hans-Thomas Tillschneider, deputy chairman of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the state of Saxony-Anhalt, attempted today to attend the annual memorial ceremony at the Halle synagogue marking seven years since the antisemitic attack on Yom Kippur 2019. About a dozen activists from the Union of Jewish Students in Germany linked arms and formed a human chain at the synagogue entrance, preventing him from entering. The union's president, Ron Dekel, told Tillschneider: "You are not welcome here" and "We will not let you hijack our memorial ceremony." Tillschneider gave up and left after a prolonged argument and mediation attempts by police. Tillschneider is considered one of the leading ideologues in the AfD, and the state's Office for the Protection of the Constitution monitors him due to his classification as an extremist. He is known for his opposition to Holocaust education. The state parliament, headed by an AfD representative, issued an official statement condemning the students. The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Dr. Josef Schuster, condemned Tillschneider's attempt to participate in the ceremony.