German Political Repression Redux?
On Friday 12 April, the German state deployed 1000 police to close down the Palestine solidarity congress in Berlin. The building was surrounded, the electricity was cut off, arrests were made. Speakers from outside Germany (including Yannis Varoufakis, ex-Finance Minister of Greece, and Ghassan Abu-Sitta, the British-Palestinian surgeon who had been treating the wounded and dying in Gaza) were refused entry to the country..
In the year of Israel’s continuing genocidal assault on Gaza, and its escalation and facilitation of the murderous violence by troops and settlers in the West Bank, the German state has ordered the silencing of all voices raised in defence of the Palestinian people, whether by Palestinians, their supporters or by intellectuals analysing the conflict.
A statement expressing outrage at this flagrant suppression of any expression of support for those in Gaza dying in their tens of thousands under relentless Israeli attack has been signed by distinguished lawyers, politicians, cultural figures and academics. The Statement and its initial signatories can be read in full below. Crucially it says:
Germany’s demonstrative remorse for its genocidal outrage 80 years ago is completely negated by its repression of protests against a state which currently stands accused before the International Court of Justice – of genocide.
Will you join the initial signatories? You can add your name here.
Germany’s suppression of voices for Palestine
The attack on the Congress is not an isolated event. Even as Israel continues its assault on Gaza, and its escalation of the murderous violence by troops and settlers in the West Bank, the German state has intensified its policy of silencing all voices raised in defence of the Palestinian people. In the days before the Congress the distinguished Jewish American philosopher Nancy Fraser received an abrupt email cancelling her prestigious professorship at the University of Cologne – because last Autumn she had signed a letter expressing solidarity with Palestinians and condemning the killings in Gaza. An interview with Professor Fraser can be found here.
In Germany this drive to silence the voices for Palestine is reaching a peak. Demonstrations are banned, exhibitions cancelled, awards withdrawn, art exhibitions cancelled, museum directors dismissed.
What is happening in Germany is extreme, but it is not exceptional. In North America, university Presidents have been dismissed for failing to act against pro-Palestine activists, and student societies banned for pro-Palestine activity. In the UK, Oxford professor Avi Shlaim had his honorary Distinguished Lecture cancelled because of his support for Palestine; and students and staff have faced disciplinary action and suspension based on the discredited redefinition of antisemitism.
The Statement – will you add your name?
A statement provoked by the suppression of the Berlin Congress has been signed by distinguished lawyers, politicians, cultural figures and academics. Signatories include
• Lawyers: Michael Mansfield KC; Sir Stephen Sedley former judge of the Court of Appeal; Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
• Cultural figures: film maker Ken Loach; musician Brian Eno; writer Ahdaf Soueif; playwright Caryl Churchill
• Politicians: Ronnie Kasrils (South African ex-Minister); Yannis Varoufakis (Greek ex-Minister); Lord Peter Hain; Richard Boyd Barrett (TD in the Dáil Éireann)
• Journalists: Tariq Ali, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
• Academics: Professors Catherine Hall, Kamel Hawwash, Jacqueline Rose, Alex Callinicos, Avi Shlaim, Malcolm Levitt FRS
Statement on the suppression of the Berlin Palestine Congress
On April 12th German police closed down the Palestine Congress in Berlin within minutes of its opening. They stormed the speakers’ stage, shut down the organizers’ livestream, then broke into the control room and shut off the power.
The 3-day Congress had drawn speakers and participants from across Europe, critical of Israel’s indiscriminate assault on Gaza and its population.
Germany through successive Chancellors has given support for Israel as its Staatsräson (“reason of state”), a non-negotiable national interest. The ostensible justification for this stance is to atone for the Holocaust. But Germany’s performative support for Israel also serves wider economic and geopolitical interests which it shares with other countries including the United Kingdom.
Germany’s demonstrative remorse for its genocidal outrage 80 years ago is completely negated by its repression of protests against a state which currently stands accused before the International Court of Justice – of genocide.
The signatories to this statement condemn Germany’s continuing denial of any legitimacy to the rights of the Palestinians, now being subjected to an unremitting assault. We call on the German authorities to cease their repression of voices for Palestine, and to respect the rights of their own citizens.
Alphabetical list of initial signatories
Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
Sir Geoffrey Bindman KC
Richard Boyd Barrett TD
Victoria Brittain
Professor Terry Brotherstone
Professor Alex Callinicos
Brian Eno
Conor Gearty KC
Lord Peter Hain
Professor Catherine Hall
Professor Kamel Hawwash
Tom Hickey
Ronnie Kasrils
Richard Kuper
Antony Lerman
Professor Malcolm Levitt FRS
Ken Loach
Professor Moshe Machover
Michael Mansfield KC
Chris Mullin
Professor Megan Povey
Professor Jacqueline Rose
Professor Jonathan Rosenhead
Sheila Rowbotham
Alexei Sayle
Sir Stephen Sedley
Professor Lynne Segal
Professor Avi Shlaim
Gillian Slovo
Ahdaf Soueif
Yanis Varoufakis