German court convicts 'Hitler 2' for incitement against Israeli professor

The Israeli philosopher was also attacked by police in Bonn.

By BENJAMIN WEINTHAL
Adolf Hitler (photo credit: MIHAILO1997/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
Adolf Hitler
(photo credit: MIHAILO1997/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)
A German court in the city of Bonn convicted Bilal Z. on Monday for an antisemitic incitement attack on an Israeli professor, Yitzhak Melamed, in 2018. Bilal, a German citizen of Palestinian origin, dubbed himself “Hitler 2,” reported the daily newspaper Bild.
Melamed’s face was bleeding and his glasses were broken after Bilal and the police attacked him. Following Bilal’s assault, police allegedly mistook Melamed for the assailant and began beating him, according to Melamed’s account of the incident. Melamed, a philosophy professor at Johns Hopkins University in the US, was wearing a kippah when he was violently attacked by Bilal, who screamed “You are a Jew” and “No Jews in Germany” at the professor.
Bilal also said “I’ll kill all Jews.” The court sentenced the 21-year-old to three months in prison. He was previously sentenced to three years and nine months for additional crimes, including robbery, that are not connected to the attack on Melamed. The court did not convict Bilal for allegedly striking the professor in the face.
A psychological report said Bilal is shaped by “deeply inculcated Jew-hatred,” according to the Bild paper.
Bilal said during the trial that he was “ashamed” for what he did. An investigatory process against the police who assaulted Melamed was discontinued. Melamed’s lawyer, according to Bild, protested the authorities’ decision to take no disciplinary action against the officers. Melamed’s attorney said that his client experienced far worse antisemitism from the police and that Melamed has lost faith in Germany’s judicial system.
Melamed was not present at the trial, but his attorney read a statement.