In the USA, pro-Palestinian protests at universities have been making headlines for a long time – is there now a similar escalation in Germany? There is debate in politics and science about what is legitimate protest and what is not.
Protest actions by pro-Palestinian groups are also increasing at German universities, some of which also try to occupy rooms or places on the university campus. There were similar actions in Berlin, Bremen and Leipzig.
There is now debate at both the university and political levels as to whether such protest actions are legitimate. The question also arises as to whether this is an expression of opinion or anti-Semitism.
“Anyone who preaches intolerance should not count on tolerance”
Clear criticism came from the university association. Universities are places for nuanced intellectual debates, but “not places for violent and out-of-control protests,” explained association president Lambert T. Koch. He related this to protests at Berlin universities. Around 150 activists tried to occupy a courtyard and set up tents at the Free University of Berlin (FU) on Tuesday. The university called in the police and had the area cleared.
Association President Koch continued that the boundaries between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism and support for the terrorist organization Hamas are repeatedly exceeded at an alarming rate. “Anyone who preaches intolerance should not count on tolerance.”
“Right to peaceful protest”
However, fundamental support came from several teachers at Berlin universities. “Regardless of whether we agree with the specific demands of the protest camp, we stand before our students and defend their right to peaceful protest, which also includes the occupation of university premises,” wrote around 100 lecturers in an open letter .
The statement justifies the “urgency of the protesters’ concerns” with Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip and the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory as “understandable”. However, Hamas’ terror against Israel is not mentioned. The lecturers are calling on Berlin university management to refrain from “police operations against their own students”.
The FU defended its actions when asked. During the protests there were anti-Semitic, discriminatory statements and calls for violence, a spokesman said. “We cannot accept this, also with a view to the safety and protection of our members.” Critical voices from members of the FU are taken very seriously.
The protest camp in the theater courtyard of the Free University of Berlin was cleared by the police.
Federal Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger sharply criticized the letter from supporters. “This statement from teachers at Berlin universities is shocking,” the FDP politician told the Bild newspaper. Instead of taking a clear stand against hatred of Israel and Jews, university occupiers are made victims and violence is trivialized.
“The fact that the supporters are teachers is a new quality. They in particular must stand on the basis of the Basic Law,” the minister continued. Stark-Watzinger had already warned a few days ago that the protests would develop similarly to those in the USA and that anti-Semitic tendencies could become more evident.
“Low point for German science”
Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner also made similar comments to Stark-Watzinger. Berlin universities are and remain places of knowledge, critical discourse and open exchange. According to the CDU politician, he has absolutely no understanding for the “authors of this pamphlet”.
The CSU internal politician Andrea Lindholz described the letter from the Berlin lecturers as a “low point for German science”. She has no understanding “when professors and lecturers defend a mob of anti-Semites and Israel-haters,” said the deputy chairwoman of the Union parliamentary group in the Bild newspaper.
The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, was disappointed with those who signed the letter. The activists are “less concerned with the suffering of the people in Gaza, but are driven by their hatred of Israel and Jews.” He would have expected university lecturers in particular “to at least clearly state this if this form of protest is already being advocated for.”
“Scope for freedom of expression is shrinking”
However, the Palestinian Authority’s ambassador to Germany, Laith Arafeh, rejected criticism of the pro-Palestinian protests. The scope for freedom of expression and academic freedom with regard to Israel and the Gaza war is continuing to shrink, Arafeh told the dpa news agency. “We condemn all forms of fanaticism, including anti-Semitism. We also condemn the systematic use of false accusations of anti-Semitism against all voices calling for an end to the war.”
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the radical Islamic Hamas attack on Israel on October 7th. According to Israeli information, around 1,200 people were killed and around 250 were taken hostage by the terrorists to the Gaza Strip. The subsequent Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed more than 34,800 people, according to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified. Israel is increasingly being criticized for the severity of its warfare.