Overview

• The Flensburg public prosecutor launched an investigation on suspicion of Volksverhetzung, stating the wording could disturb public peace, incite hatred, and attack the human dignity of Jews.
• Police were alerted Wednesday evening, ordered the sign taken down on site, and secured the placard as evidence after multiple criminal complaints were filed.
• The 60-year-old shop owner, identified in reports as Hans‑Velten R., defended the posting by citing Israel’s actions in Gaza and later said he would not repeat it in this form.
• Federal and local officials condemned the incident, including antisemitism commissioner Felix Klein and Mayor Fabian Geyer, who said such exclusion recalls Germany’s darkest chapters.
• After the sign’s removal, the storefront was found defaced with slogans including “Nazis raus,” as images shared on social media showed.