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A group of Orthodox Jewish students in Lucerne, Switzerland, were harassed and threatened by a knife-wielding man shouting antisemitic slurs and “Free Palestine” on Saturday, in an incident authorities are investigating as a serious hate crime.
The incident occurred in broad daylight as the students walked through the central Swizz city. According to the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), the man spat at the students, shouted “Death to the Jews,” and brandished a knife in a threatening manner. A passerby intervened before the man was able to harm the students, and the assailant fled the scene before police arrived.
Due to the Jewish Sabbath, the students were unable to provide official statements or travel to the police station until Saturday night. However, they were informed that the station would be closed until Monday — raising concerns about a missed opportunity to apprehend the suspect swiftly.
Jonathan Kreutner, General Secretary of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), confirmed the details to The Jerusalem Post, emphasizing that the young men are shaken but physically unharmed. “It is very worrying that Jewish people can no longer walk through the streets without being attacked,” he stated.
Lucerne police and local prosecutors are treating the case with urgency. Swiss law considers spitting a form of physical assault, and threatening someone with a weapon is a criminal offense under Article 180 of the Swiss Penal Code. Antisemitic speech is also punishable under Article 261bis, which prohibits racial discrimination.
The attack comes amid a dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents across Switzerland, a trend SIG attributes to fallout from the October 7th Hamas massacre and the ensuing conflict. “What’s happening now never happened before October 7,” Kreutner said. “Now there are so many cases in such a short period of time.”
In March, SIG released a comprehensive report revealing a 42.5% increase in antisemitic incidents from 2023 to 2024. The organization recorded 221 cases in 2024, compared to 155 the previous year and just 57 in 2022. Alarmingly, 11 of this year’s incidents involved physical violence — including the stabbing of a 50-year-old Orthodox Jew in Zurich and an attack on a religious Jewish man in Davos.
As Switzerland grapples with this surge in hate-fueled attacks, Jewish leaders are calling for stronger protections, more responsive law enforcement, and greater public awareness of the growing threats faced by Jewish communities.
