A pro-Palestinian event was disrupted by the Berlin Police on a recent Friday in Germany. The police also issued a ban to prevent the group from meeting again over the weekend after the group allowed a speaker, who had previously been banned from participating in political activities for alleged anti-semitic remarks, to address the audience. The speaker in question is Salman Abu Sitta, a Palestinian researcher known for his outspoken views about Israel and Palestine. Sitta has previously stated that Israel was formed on land it does not own.
Abu Sitta had been issued what is referred to as a “ban on political activities”, and the police’s move to stop the event and implement the ban was driven by concerns that Sitta might make anti-semitic or violent remarks. Sitta’s position has previously included the claim that the “key to peace” is the return of the refugees to Palestine and he has regarded the ongoing conflict as “ethnic cleansing” and “genocide”.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Homeland endorsed the police action, affirming its stance against the Palestinian Congress and maintaining surveillance over “Islamist” activities. The ministry went on to claim that anyone promoting “Islamist propaganda” and anti-Semitism will face prosecution. Germany has consistently supported Israel since the latest conflict in Gaza broke out and such a stance has drawn criticism from pro-Palestinian organizations.
This disturbance in Germany comes shortly after seven German human rights attorneys filed a motion in Berlin’s Administrative Court to suspend arms exports to Israel. Alongside these legal measures, a criminal lawsuit has been initiated by Palestinian NGOs against German officials, accusing them of aiding and abetting genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza by supplying weapons to Israel and granting related export permissions.