Only Jewish butcher in Denmark repeatedly subjected to vandalism

The shop of Gil Zchout, the only Jewish butcher in Denmark has been repeatedly subjected to vandalism. In the latest incident in June, a stone was thrown at the window of his shop in Copenhagen.

Since the terrorist attack against the synagogue in Copenhagen on February 14, 2015 when the Jewish guard Dan Uzan was shot and killed by the terrorist Omar el-Hussein, the shop has been monitored by PET (Police Intelligence Services), yet the store has repeatedly been exposed to vandalism and stone throwing.

I came one morning. Then there were ‘Jew pigs’ here on the facade, Gil Zchout told TV Lorry.

“You can go out on Lyngbyvej and have a look – there are no other stores that have been hit. It just happened to me. And when I have also experienced there before, I’m pretty sure it has to do with my religion”, Zchout added.

According to the Copenhagen Police, a masked perpetrator was seen on video surveillance from the store, but according to police, the motive cannot be concluded yet.

“We can’t exclude anything at this time. Hate crimes are included as one of the possible motives. There may be many motives, but it is a motive we are investigating, Deputy Police Inspector Jesper Bangsgaard told TV Lorry.”

The nature of these acts of vandalism is of concern to our members, said Henri Goldstein, President of the Jewish community of Denmark, the country’s EJC affiliate.

The Jewish community collects data on antisemitic incidents. The latest figures show a 50 percent increase in incidents from 30 in 2018 to 45 in 2019.

Nevertheless, many Jews who have been the victim of an antisemitic hate crime do not report the incident to the authorities. Mr. Goldstein adds that this is partly due to concerns about potential reprisals.

“When it comes to trial, they cannot prevent the perpetrator from knowing who reported the incident,” he stated.