After the demonstration in Hamburg organized by Islamists, police chief Schnabel called for a ban on the group “Muslim Interaktiv”. The FDP wants to expel participants. But according to an Islamism expert, that doesn’t go far enough.
The Hamburg police chief Falk Schnabel spoke to NDR info called for a ban on the Islamist group “Muslim Interactive” – as far as the constitutional findings would suffice. This is the only way to limit the spread of this production via social media. This must stop, demanded Schnabel. The danger of radicalization of Muslims as a result is “immanent”.
According to the police, a person responsible for the “Muslim Interaktiv” platform registered the demonstration in Hamburg for last Saturday. The Hamburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution also confirmed that the applicant was close to the group. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the organization as definitely extremist.
Caliphate movement rejects democracy
According to journalist and Islamism expert Erin Güvercin, board member of the Alhambra Society and member of the German Islam Conference, the “Muslim Interaktiv” platform belongs to an Islamist caliphate movement that rejects democracy and describes participation in democratic elections as “un-Islamic.” . Their goal is a so-called caliphate state, said Güvercin tagesschau24.
The Caliphate Movement has been banned from operating in Germany since 2003. But recently she has become more and more active via online platforms such as “Muslim Interaktiv”, especially since the attack on Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas, said Güvercin.
Around 1,000 participants at the demonstration
Around 1,000 participants came to the demonstration in the St. Georg district on Saturday, mostly young men, according to Police Chief Schnabel. The meeting was “mostly peaceful.” The protest was directed against, according to the organizers, anti-Islamic policies and reporting.
Schnabel criticized the narrative that would be spread: “What this organization is doing and has clearly shown with this meeting: People are setting themselves up to stylize critical reporting on this organization and an individual as an Islamophobic attitude towards Muslims.”
Appeal to Muslims
It would be suggested that the same basic rights do not apply to Muslims in Germany – and that a caliphate, i.e. a theocracy, would be necessary. At the demonstration, the sentences “Caliphate is the solution”, “Germany = dictatorship of values” and “reason of state kills” could be read on posters.
Schnabel appealed to Muslims in Germany “not to fall for this scam.” Anyone who had been there would have seen: “This is staged, especially for social media appearances.”
Participants in the Islamist demonstration in Hamburg last Saturday hold up a poster with the inscription “Caliphate is the solution.”
Police don’t see any Legal basis for ban
Like Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, Schnabel called it “hard to bear” that such a demonstration took place on the streets of Hamburg. The police in the Hanseatic city checked intensively in advance whether the meeting could not be banned.
“It was the unanimous opinion of all lawyers that there was no legal basis for this,” said Schnabel. In common Morning magazine from ARD and ZDF He explained that the right to assembly is not about allowing or prohibiting certain opinions, but rather about whether a gathering is peaceful, that is, without danger and without criminal offenses. “Such an assumption could not be justified in advance of the meeting.”
However, the assembly authority made it clear with very strict conditions that no calls for violence or slogans that question Israel’s right to exist would be tolerated. Even in retrospect, it cannot be said that a ban would have been appropriate from the point of view of violence.
Police chief calls on the federal government to examine the ban
In order to prevent such events, the federal government is called upon to “make it clear whether the organization that was behind this meeting cannot be banned.” Last week, the Hamburg CDU called for “Muslim Interactive” to be banned.
The Hamburg CDU parliamentary group leader Dennis Thering reiterated the demand: “It is not enough that Federal Interior Minister Faeser finds this Islamist demonstration ‘difficult to bear’, but she must act now and quickly enforce a ban on ‘Muslim Interaktiv’.”
FDP calls for expulsions
Faeser said on Deutschlandfunk that the “red lines” of such demonstrations must be clear. There should be no propaganda for Hamas, no hate speech against Jews and no calls for violence on German streets. She called for “tough action” from the authorities. She has not yet spoken about a possible ban on the organization.
The FDP also called for tougher measures, including expulsions. “A foreigner whose stay endangers the free, democratic basic order in Germany can be expelled,” said FDP parliamentary group vice-president Konstantin Kuhle to “Welt”. Anyone who demands the abolition of basic rights such as freedom of the press at a demonstration meets this requirement.
Islamism expert: Demanding deportations falls short
Islamism expert Güvercin said such calls for expulsions or deportations “miss the problem.” The participants are not refugees who have been here since 2015, but young men who were born in Germany and socialized here. “We won’t get anywhere with demands for deportations alone; this is a more complex problem,” said Güvercin tagesschau24.
He was surprised at Faeser’s statements: “It can’t be the case that the Federal Minister of the Interior is demanding harsh consequences today – I ask myself, what has the ministry done so far?” It is known that the group has been mobilizing for years, and it has been possible to continue indoctrinating via online platforms despite the ban on activity.
Interior Minister have to act
“The only person who is required is our Federal Interior Minister,” says Güvercin. It must take clearer measures against the branches of the caliphate movement. “Otherwise we shouldn’t be surprised if they’re fooling us.”
In addition, the uncomfortable question must be asked as to why young Muslim men who grew up in Germany in particular are receptive to anti-democratic narratives. He sees education policy as having a duty to create more offers and do more persuasion in order to reach these people.
Ambassador: “Unbelievable, unacceptable, incomprehensible”
The United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to Germany, Ahmed Alattar, wrote on “But that is typical of political Islamists.”
CDU politician Armin Laschet thanked him for the statement: “Clear words from the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates,” he wrote on X. “Clear message that peaceful Arab countries are also distancing themselves from extremists.”
The Hamburg police now want to evaluate the demonstration together with the public prosecutor. Police Chief Schnabel said it is being examined whether certain slogans or banners have criminal relevance NDR.