Berlin – Charges in Germany Over Pig’s Head at Jewish Cemetery

Berlin – German prosecutors said Monday they have brought charges against a man accused of hanging a blood-drenched pig’s head at a Jewish cemetery in November and a banner denying the Holocaust.

The accused is also believed to have poured pig’s blood at the entrance of another Jewish graveyard the same night with another man who has also been charged, the state prosecutor’s office in the eastern city of Erfurt said.

Both men, aged 32 and 47, stand accused of disturbing the peace of the dead for the incident in Erfurt in which they allegedly poured pig’s blood over a memorial plaque at the cemetery’s main gate.

The charge carries a penalty of up to three years in prison or a fine.

In addition, the 47-year-old is believed to have hung the pig’s head from the Star of David on the entrance gate to the graveyard in Gotha near Erfurt and thrown two glasses filled with pig’s blood at the gate.

Police also found a cloth banner reading “six million lies” in a reference to the number of Jews killed by the Nazis.

In addition to two counts of disturbing the peace of the dead, the 47-year-old has also been charged with incitement to racial hatred for denying the Holocaust which carries a sentence of up to five years in prison or a fine.

“The accused, who have no criminal records, deny the charges,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement.

The incidents sparked outrage in the region when they occurred nine months ago, with Thuringia state premier Dieter Althaus calling for the quick capture and prosecution of the culprits.

“The full force of the law must be brought to bear against the perpetrators of this terror,” he said.