Alexander Paloch convicted of beating 17-year-old Israeli living in Germany, whose grandfather was murdered in 1972 Olympics massacre. Attacker sentenced to eight months probation, avoids jail term.
The grandson of a victim of the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre was attacked by a neo-Nazi in Germany. The 20-year-old assailant, Alexander Paloch, was convicted by the Naumburg District Court of assaulting a 17-year-old Israeli who lives with his family in a small town in Germany.
But despite the court's accepting the prosecution's arguments, the man was only sentence to eight months probation, because of the country's laws.
Paloch, who works as a cook, has a long history of neo-Nazi activity, and was suspected in the past of two incidents of assault. On Tuesday, he was convicted of beating the young Israeli on April 16 in the small town of Lauscha. The victim's grandfather was Amitzur Shapira, who was murdered in the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.
During the attack, which went on even after the teen tried to flee, Paloch shouted, "Jewish pig". He punched him and kicked him until a passerby rescued the teen with his car.
The judge accepted the prosecution's claims and sentenced Paloch to eight months probation. The defense requested only five months probation. Paloch was also ordered to pay a fine of 360 euros ($458) which will go toward the memorial site at the former concentration camp at Buchenwald.
Victim's mother 'pleased with ruling'
"We are very pleased with the ruling, since we actually got what we demanded," the victim's mother, Tzipi Lev, told Ynet. "This is the maximum penalty for such an offence."
Lev said that since the incident, she and her partner have brought together a coalition of organizations to fight neo-Nazism in Lauscha.
Like many towns in the former East Germany, Lauscha is considered a center of activity for extreme right and neo-Nazi activity.
Paloch himself is considered one of the "protégés" of a veteran neo-Nazi activist in the town.
Y Net news
