Germany orders deportation of Palestine activists

The Berlin senate, which serves as an executive body in the German capital, is in the process of deporting four pro-Palestine activists with no hearing or formal criminal charges.

This unprecedented move is being called illegal by many critics. The four activists facing deportation include three EU nationals (two Irish, one Polish) and one US citizen.

According to The New Arab, the measures have been defended by German authorities as they threaten ‘national security’.

The accused legal team have stated that the German authorities are going against free speech and applying lower-level laws to hurt pro-Palestine activism.

The four who have been accused have been given until April to leave Germany with a ban on German residency for three years and a ban on re-entry.

The protest in which the four allegedly took part was in the courtyard of the Freie Universität Berlin where a call for the war in Gaza to end took place.

Unlike many cases of this sort where the accused would be allowed to remain in Germany until the case was processed in this scenario, the four have been told to leave by April.

According to the New Arab, internal emails between the Senate Department for the Interior and Sport and the Berlin Senate show that Foreign Office workers contested the legality of the deportation request, but were overruled.

Their legal team views this diagnosis as dramatic and unusual.

Notably in this case two of the four are trans and have fears for safety and healthcare outside of the accepting city of Berlin.

One of the activists, Kasia Wlaszczyk, stated: “As a trans guy, it will be difficult to find the same access to health care. My girlfriend, closest friends, which I consider my family and my political community are all here in Berlin”.

Another activist, Cooper Longbottom, expressed fears about “returning to the United States, where Trump is violently cracking down on pro-Palestinian solidarity and rolling back on LGBTQ+ protections,” which he described as “very scary.”

The harsh punishment of deportation for their involvement has seen a member of the legal team for the activists call the deportation “politically motivated”.

Benjamin Düsberg, one of the lawyers, has argued that the decision to not allow the accused to remain in Germany for the case is “on such a weak basis”.

The German police have come out with a different context for the protest claiming that the activists were spreading antisemitic hatred and incitement.

The police have cited the multiple crimes that they are being accused of as being a range of offences, including resisting arrest, disturbing the peace and damage to public property.

The key context to this is Germany’s view of Israel’s right to exist. The German state has a key belief in this existence and has led many to believe that the decision to deport and the tightening of protests for pro-Palestine is related to this support.

This has been furthered by the crackdown on protesters against Israel in Germany. Such cases as the banning of Arabic at a pro-Palestine protest alongside human rights organisations caused German police of excessive force when controlling crowds.

This has led to Amnesty International calling for an independent investigation into heavy handling by the police.

These incidents extend beyond just these four protesters, revealing a broader political pattern in Germany’s approach to Palestine solidarity activism.

In a telling development, Friedrich Merz, likely Germany’s next chancellor, has invited Netanyahu to visit Germany despite the ICC arrest warrant against him for alleged crimes against humanity.

While German officials may express concern about civilian casualties in Gaza, their actions—from protest crackdowns to deportations to diplomatic invitations—suggest a clear alignment in this conflict

The New Arab, Amnesty International, Independent, Maghrebi.org