Berlin marks third anniversary of 7 October attacks as leaders call for action on antisemitism

Central commemoration at Bebelplatz

Around 1,700 people gathered on Wednesday at Bebelplatz in central Berlin to mark the third anniversary of the 7 October 2023 terror attacks led by Hamas against Israel. The gathering, held under the motto "Never forget. Never be silent.", took place at the square next to Humboldt University, the location of the 1933 Nazi book burnings. Attendees waved Israeli flags and lit candles in memory of those killed and abducted three years earlier, when extremists killed around 1,200 people in Israel and took roughly 250 hostages into the Gaza Strip. Prominent attendees at the Berlin square included German actresses Iris Berben and Andrea Sawatzki.

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt addressed the crowd and lit a memorial candle alongside widow Noga Friedman. Dobrindt called for active measures against antisemitic hostility throughout German society.

Every single antisemitic attack, ladies and gentlemen, is for me an additional mandate to continue taking a stand offensively: for Jews in Germany, for the state of Israel.

Diplomatic calls for concrete action

Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor spoke at the Bebelplatz rally, describing the 7 October assault as a genocide against Jews and Israelis. Prosor insisted that political rhetoric alone was insufficient to counter growing antisemitism in Europe, demanding tangible measures from public authorities across the political spectrum.

We have heard enough Sunday speeches about dead Jews. Now what is needed is action, an offensive against antisemitism.

Earlier in the day, Prosor attended a memorial and tolerance prayer at the Chabad Berlin Jewish Community alongside Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal. The ambassador noted that nearly every family in Israel remains touched by loss from the 2023 attacks. Rabbi Teichtal urged the community not to let hatred prevail and stressed that remembering involves taking responsibility for the future. Berlin politicians, including CDU parliamentary group leader and Finance and Culture Senator Stefan Evers, attended the morning prayer.

Security measures and decentralised events

Berlin police deployed roughly 1,100 additional officers across the German capital to secure anniversary events and manage planned demonstrations near Checkpoint Charlie and in Kreuzberg. At the Brandenburg Gate, representatives from the Berlin state leadership of the SPD, the Greens, and Die Linke set up empty chairs to symbolise the victims of the attack. For the evening, organizers arranged an interfaith memorial service at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church.

In Israel, survivors and bereaved relatives gathered at sites attacked during the 2023 incursions, including the Nova music festival grounds near the Gaza Strip. An evening memorial event in Tel Aviv was expected to draw tens of thousands of participants.

Federal political statements

Members of the federal cabinet and parliament issued official statements on Wednesday addressing the anniversary. Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke of the deep pain and lasting wounds inflicted by the attacks and reaffirmed support for a two-state solution to allow Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace and security.

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier condemned the rise of antisemitic agitation, stating on social media that extremists had murdered men, women, and children with cruelty. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul described the increase in antisemitism in Germany and internationally as shameful, while Bundestag President Julia Klöckner addressed parliament regarding civic responsibility against hate.