Jewish student's complaint against Berlin university dismissed

A Jewish student's legal complaint against the Free University of Berlin over insufficient protection from anti-Semitism was dismissed by a court in the German capital on Monday.

The Berlin Administrative Court rejected Lahav Shapira's claim on procedural grounds.

While the Berlin Higher Education Act requires the university to prevent and eliminate discrimination, this statutory duty does not confer any rights on individual claimants, the judges ruled.

The judgement can be appealed to the court of next instance, the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court.

Shapira brought a lawsuit against the university after being attacked and injured by a fellow student in central Berlin in February 2024.

The 32-year-old accused the university of not doing enough to combat anti-Semitic discrimination. 

An appeal trial linked to the attack on Shapira is currently also being heard by the Berlin Regional Court after the suspect was sentenced to three years in prison for grievous bodily harm.