Germany: "Palestine Congress" disbanded
Around two hours after it kicked off, the Berlin police broke up an event on Friday that had been registered as a "Palestine Congress". The authorities justified the move by stating that one of the online speakers was banned from political activity in Germany for hate speech against Israel and Jews. According to media reports, people who were planning to attend were banned from entering the country in the run-up to the event.
Oppose this shift towards authoritarianism
The German zeal against pro-Palestinian voices goes too far, says taz:
“The German McCarthyism is directed against all those who do not share the German raison d'état regarding Israel. This pact not only disregards the rules of human decency and imposes stricter regulations, but the limits of the rule of law are stretched to the max when clearly arbitrary bans on entry, assembly and activity are imposed. ... Once this authoritarian course becomes acceptable it will soon be directed against other groups that oppose the government: climate activists, refugee helpers and others. And the government in power will not always be a traffic-light coalition.”
Event was designed for escalation
Zeit Online approves of the ban:
“The list of speakers and supporters of the congress reads like a who's who of internationally known anti-Zionists and antisemites. So there is one thing that should not be overlooked: the Palestine Congress, which presented itself as a kind of show trial and, according to its programme, wanted to hold a 'tribunal against Germany' on Sunday, was designed for escalation from the outset. ... And that's why it was only logical for the Berlin police to switch off the activists' power.”