Germany’s crackdown on protests against the Palestinian genocide

25.1.2024

Question for written answer  E-000243/2024
to the Commission
Rule 138
Miguel Urbán Crespo (The Left)

The German authorities have responded to protests against the Palestinian genocide with limits to the right to protest and excessive arrests and intimidation by the police and the authorities. Between 11 and 20 October 2023 alone, 600 people expressing their solidarity with Palestine were arrested.

At the march to commemorate Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht in Berlin on 13 January 2024, police used excessive force against pro-Palestine demonstrators; 16 protesters were treated for serious injuries at hospital, with one sustaining a dangerous cranioencephalic trauma.

At a number of rallies against the AfD on 21 January 2024, pro-Palestine groups were attacked by other demonstrators. Police not only failed to respond to blatantly xenophobic attacks, but even removed those groups from the demonstrations, preventing them from marching.

Is the Commission aware of these events and the infringement of rights involved – including the right to peaceful protest laid down in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the European Convention on Human Rights?

Submitted:25.1.2024