Germany accused of silencing voices critical of Israel

Authorities across Germany are being accused of trying to silence voices critical of Israel through a number of repressive means.

"It goes through the entire societal spectrum," German Palestinian human rights lawyer Nadia Samour tells CGTN. "Artists, journalist, students, certain activities considered 'anti-Semitic'. There is very concrete repression."

Samour has defended a number of people arrested for perceived anti-Semitism.

"The cases really span from defending activists and organisers against police repression, against accusations of criminal offences but also the struggle against demonstration or bank accounts that have been frozen," she explained. "We also have a case running against the weapon deliveries from Germany to Israel."

The German government views any criticism of Israel as "anti-Semitic". Therefore any action, slogan or symbol deemed critical of Israel and its actions is at risk of being met with opposition from authorities.

Oyoun, a migrant-led cultural center in Berlin focused on marginalized communities, has taken the city to court for canceling its funding.

Co-founder Louna Sbou told CGTN: "We were defunded in December 2023 for hosting an event with Jewish voices that reflect a pluralistic spectrum of Jewish progressive voices that the government wants to highlight."

Many forms of pro-Palestinian support, such as student demonstrations at Berlin universities, have also been shut down over the past 12 months for being considered anti-Semitic by authorities.

Videos of police aggression at these events is spreading across social media platforms. A protest in support of Palestine and Lebanon last weekend was met by tear gas as scuffles broke out between police and protesters.

Mary Gillian, a Berlin resident for over 30 years, attended the demonstration and said: "We do not allow them to deny the rights of Palestinians to stand on the streets and express their rage against this injustice.

"Palestinian people and Lebanese people here are calling home for dead cousins, sisters, dead mothers, they are grieving but also have the right to adjust to anger against Germans complicity in this genocide."

Fueling much of the public discontent is Germany's arms deliveries to Israel. In 2023, over $360 million worth of German military hardware was earmarked for Israel.

However, in light of international legal challenges over that, Berlin is said to have reduced those exports significantly.

"Much has been done but it's not enough," the chief rabbi of Berlin, Yehudah Teichtal, told CGTN. "The federal government, in particular the state government, are really trying to strengthen Jewish life (in Germany). However, it is not enough when an anti-Semitic attack occurs."

And those attacks have increased, with over 3,200 anti-Semitic crimes recorded by Police nationwide, including an attack on the Israeli Consulate General in Munich in September.

The German government feels a moral obligation to protect the Jewish people and their homeland following the horrific events of the holocaust. But many, such as Louna Sbou, are concerned that Berlin may be using this to undermine the human rights of others.

"We are supposed to protect our freedom of speech and if it's not possible through arts and culture, how then?" she asks. "So it seems that tactics of inciting hatred, fear, violence has been very affective, which is a very dangerous development."

The escalating conflict in the Middle East is clearly reverberating on German streets – causing a division that many fear is reflective of the country's destructive past.

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