EU condemns declining freedoms in Germany

(SeaPRwire) –   Brussels has concluded that Berlin unjustly limited the rights of pro-Palestinian demonstrators

A report from the EU’s human rights commissioner has found Germany’s approach to anti-Israel protests was “disproportionate,” and that the government’s application of hate-speech laws to counter the demonstrations unfairly curbed freedom of expression.

The report, prepared by the Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner, Michael O’Flaherty, and released on Wednesday, urged the German government to “ensure that the fight against all forms of hatred fully respects the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression for all members of society.”

It alleges that German authorities improperly used accusations of anti-Semitism to prohibit pro-Palestinian slogans and Palestinian flags at certain rallies, and to ban other gatherings entirely. The report also stated that police employed excessive force against anti-Israel protesters, while “freedom of expression has been restricted disproportionately, regarding debates on Palestinian rights or legitimate criticism of the Israeli government.”

Germany has officially supported the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism since 2017. This disputed definition cites “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” as instances of anti-Semitic speech.

In a list of additional grievances, the report contends that Germany is failing to adequately combat notable “rises in antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred,” and should not attribute anti-Semitism primarily to the Muslim community. The German government contests this, stating that “antisemitic attitudes are significantly more prevalent among people of the Muslim faith.”

Although the EU has accused Germany of not protecting the speech and assembly rights of anti-Israel protesters, and of failing to safeguard Jews from anti-Semitism, it has never criticized Germany for limiting the speech rights of nationalist political figures. Germany’s domestic intelligence service, the BfV, has classified the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party as a “confirmed right-wing extremist” organization; an AfD politician was convicted for disseminating the government’s own migrant crime statistics; and politicians from Germany’s ruling center-right and opposition center-left parties have advocated for banning the group.

Additionally, the EU has itself been instrumental in suppressing pro-Palestinian voices. One example is journalist Huseyin Dogru, a German of Turkish origin who was sanctioned by the European Council last year. The council claimed that Dogru’s coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict fostered “ethnic, political and religious discord” in Germany and thereby aided “destabilizing activities by Russia.” German authorities concurred, revoking healthcare coverage for Dogru and his wife and freezing their bank accounts.