Geneva [Switzerland], October 17: UN experts on Thursday said they were very troubled at the way German police dealt with pro-Palestinian demonstrations over recent months during increased protests over conditions in the Gaza Strip.
"We are alarmed by the persistent pattern of police violence and apparent suppression of Palestine solidarity activism by Germany," the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a statement quoting its experts.
They urged Germany to stop criminalizing, punishing, and suppressing legitimate Palestinian solidarity activism.
They also urged Germany to uphold its human rights obligations and to respect and facilitate the right to peaceful assembly for everyone without discrimination.
The OHCHR experts said they had been in contact with the German government over these concerns.
They noted that, since October 2023, Germany had "escalated and expanded restrictions with regard to Palestinian solidarity activism and protests even though actions have been overall peaceful and used to express legitimate demands." "Political protests and those expressing dissent must not be subject to undue restrictions based on content," the experts said.
German authorities banned certain pro-Palestinian protests on the grounds of concerns of anti-Semitic slogans being expressed and of street violence. German courts confirmed the bans in certain cases and overturned them in others. There were media reports of incitement and anti-Semitic slogans at demonstrations.
Source: Qatar Tribune
