The Berlin State Office of Criminal Investigation is investigating a suspected arson attack on the Tiergarten secondary school (photo). According to what is known so far, objects were set on fire in front of an “apparently tilted window” of the school at around 3.00 a.m. last night, the police said.
“As a result, a fire also broke out in the room containing technical equipment, among other things,” the police added. The fire brigade was able to extinguish the fire and no one was injured, according to the police. The technical equipment in the room was “considerably damaged”, but there was no major damage to the building.
“Several fresh pieces of writing relating to the Middle East conflict were also found on several walls in the school’s courtyard,” the police said. According to a report in the newspaper “B.Z.”, the slogan “When Gaza burns, Berlin burns” was written. The estimated total damage is at least 250,000 euros. The police state security department of the State Office of Criminal Investigation is now investigating serious arson and damage to property.
“After the problems surrounding the graduation ceremony, this is now the next stage of escalation,” the newspaper quotes Benjamin Fritz (CDU), the councillor responsible for the school, as saying during a visit to the scene of the fire. “It’s now also about a sense of security in the school. Such incidents naturally also have an effect on the pupils and staff.”
The grammar school was in the headlines just a few weeks ago – at the time, it was about the cancellation of a graduation ceremony due to announced political protests in the context of the Gaza war. The school management had cancelled the event because it was expecting a protest by students from the graduating class. According to media reports, the students wanted to use the graduation ceremony for a pro-Palestinian protest.