August Updates on the Defence of Palestine Solidarity in Europe
Published on Wed Sep 11 2024AUGUST 2024 Newsletter
Dear Friend,
In the past month, we’ve fought some crucial battles and secured a number of legal victories, which we bring to you in this month’s newsletter, along with some useful resources to continue mobilising for Palestine.
CASE UPDATES
ATTEMPTED CRIMINALISATION OF THE SLOGAN ‘PALESTINE WILL BE FREE, FROM THE RIVER TO THE SEA’ IN GERMANY:
On the 22nd of August 2024, activist Daria was supposed to be facing her first hearing at the Berlin court Amtsgericht Tiergarten. She is accused of ‘circulation of symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organisations’ (§ 86 StGB) for chanting the slogan ‘Palestine will be free from the river to the sea’ at a demonstration in early March 2024. Her case does not stand in isolation.Rather, it is one of many that are challenging the attempted criminalisation of the slogan ‘Palestine will be free, from the river to the sea’ by German authorities. This attempt clearly constitutes a political move to control and repress the Palestine solidarity movement in Germany as a whole.
Read more about Daria’s case and the wider context of Germany’s state repression and criminalisation of political dissent, and the movement’s mobilisation against Israel’s ongoing genocidal onslaught on Gaza and German complicity here in English and in German.
The Berlin court cancelled Daria’s trial at the last minute. Hundreds of people had gathered in front of the courthouse in solidarity. After addressing the crowd with a speech, Daria was brutally arrested by the Berlin police. There were approximately a dozen arrests in total.
The hearing has now been postponed to November 11th. We stand undeterred and hope that many will join the hearing again in support.Read more about it in Nadija’s interview with Left Berlin
COURT VICTORY AGAINST CORPORATE COMPLICITY IN GERMANY’S AUTHORITARIANISM
In June 2024, the Berlin Appellate Court ruled that the freezing and cancellation of the association Jüdische Stimme für gerechten Frieden in Nahost – EJJP Deutschland e. V. / Jewish Voice for Just Peace in the Middle East – EJJP‘s bank account by the partly state-owned bank Berliner Sparkasse was illegal
Read our statement in English, Arabic, and German here. Berliner Sparkasse has challenged the court desicion. We will update you on further developments on this case.
DIRECTOR OF AL-HAQ SHAWAN JABARIN HOLDS ITALIAN NEWSPAPER CORRIERE DELLA SERA ACCOUNTABLE FOR DEFAMING HIM
Shawan Jabarin, General Director of Al-Haq, with the support of the ELSC, was able to hold Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera accountable for defaming him three years ago, following Israel’s targeted designation of six Plaestinian NGOs as ‘terror organisations’, a tactic Israel systematically applies to silence, control, and oppress Palestinian voices. The newspaper has now retracted its racist statement and paid around 15,000 euros in compensation to Mr. Jabarin. #StandWithThe6 READ OUR STATEMENT HERE
PUSHING BACK AGAINST THE DISMISSAL OF RECTOR STELLA MARIS BY ST ANDREWS UNIVERSITY:
‘It is clear that I have been removed from university court because I called for an end to Israel’s war crimes against Palestinians, and I will not apologise for doing so’, Stella Maris said following her dismissal by St Andrews University
We are proud to support Ms Maris and have appealed the decision.
ALL CHARGES AGAINST AMIRA ABDELHAMID, AN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS LECTURER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH, DROPPED
Her employer had suspended Abdelhamid, referring her to Prevent for a series of posts on X related to October 7th, which led to counterterrorism police arresting her and raiding her home, confiscating all her devices, a protest sign that had ‘Palestine’ written in Arabic, any notebook with ‘foreign writing’ and ‘my powder eyeliner to test it in the lab because they thought it was gun powder’, said Amira.
The ELSC has been supporting Abdelhamid. Read more about it here
ONGOING CASES YOU CAN SUPPORT
7 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT OUR CRIMINAL COMPLAINT AGAINST BOOKING.COM
It’s been a few months since we filed our criminal complaint against Booking.com. In the meantime, the International Court of Justice issued an Advisory Opinion finding that Israel’s occupation and annexation of Palestinian territory is ‘unlawful’. This authoritative opinion underscores our legal argument against Booking.com and makes it ever more difficult for companies to escape responsibility and accountability for their business activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Do you want to know where we are with the case? See and share our posts in English, Arabic, and Dutch
NO MORE WEAPONS FOR GENOCIDE: FURTHER LEGAL ACTION AGAINST GERMANY’S WAR WEAPONS DELIVERIES TO ISRAEL
In June 2024, the Administrative Court of Berlin dismissed our urgent appeal and concluded that no ban on exports of war weapons would be necessary, assuming that the German government is acting in accordance with international law. But we will not stop here and are planning further legal action!
HELP US BUILD OUR MONITOR DATABASE
Let’s expose those responsible for our repression and hold them accountable together
ELSC IN THE MEDIA
Alongside other members of the movement, our senior legal officer in Germany Nadija spoke to the New Arab about Germany’s intensifying crackdown on Palestine Solidarity following its decision to label the BDS movement as ‘extremist’. READ MORE
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Our Monitor Project Officer Tara speaks about the repression of Palestine solidarity and the work of the ELSC in Britain.
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One of our Germany lawyers and expert on migration law, Alexander Gorski, talks about the most recent developments in Germany’s racist legislation and their implications with regards to residency, surveillance and attacks on freedom of expression.
OTHER USEFUL RESOURCES
GERMANY: RESOURCES OF SUPPORT AGAINST FINES & TRIALS
If you are facing fines or trials for speaking out and mobilising for Palestine, here are some organisations that you can reach out to for support! Resources include free legal advice, open consultation hours for people experiencing racial profiling and racist police violence, contacts with lawyers in solidarity, trial support or financial aid. You are not alone in this!
For more recourses of support, get in touch with Palestine at the Forefront: Fighting Repression in Germany.
BRITAIN: Are you facing disciplinary action for protest-related activity at your university? Here’s what you need to know.
We are proud to be in community with you. As you continue to organise and take action, make sure to visit our Know Your Rights resources and continue to report any form of repression.
In solidarity,
The ELSC
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