demonstration
Islamist demonstration in Hamburg under strict conditions
Demonstrators take part in a rally by the Islamist group Muslim Interaktiv in Hamburg. photo
© Gregor Fischer/dpa
The Islamist group Muslim Interaktiv is demonstrating again in Hamburg. With a rally at the end of April, the group caused outrage far beyond the Hanseatic city.
Two weeks after their controversial rally in Hamburg has once again mobilized the extremist group Muslim Interaktiv in the Hanseatic city. According to the police, around 2,300 people joined an Islamist demonstration on Saturday afternoon.
Under strict conditions and a large police presence, they gathered for a rally on the Way of the Cross in the St. Georg district. On April 27, a Muslim Interaktiv rally sparked nationwide outrage because signs read, among other things, “Caliphate is the solution.”
On Saturday, the police positioned water cannons, among other things, on the sidelines of the meeting, which was announced under the title “Against Censorship and Opinion Dictation.” Some counter-protesters gathered nearby. Contrary to what the registrant had requested, the Muslim Interaktiv meeting was only allowed to take place as a stationary rally; a demonstration was not permitted. According to observations by a dpa reporter, the participants were almost exclusively men.
Rally under strict conditions
As one of nine conditions, the assembly authority had specified that there should be no gender separation. At the beginning, the requirements were read out in German and Arabic, as specified by the authorities. As with the demonstration at the end of April, it was forbidden to incite hatred and violence and to deny Israel’s right to exist. Damaging or burning Israeli flags was also prohibited.
According to Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann, the legal options available to authorities when dealing with sympathizers of an Islamist caliphate in Germany are limited. “Pure expressions of sympathy for a caliphate are something I consider to be politically absurd and absurd,” the FDP politician told the German Press Agency.
However, the Federal Constitutional Court stated in essence: As long as an absurd opinion, even one that contradicts the Basic Law, is simply expressed without any attempt being made to eliminate the order of the Basic Law or violate other legal interests, this must be considered part of the intellectual battle of opinions must be endured.
It would be different if a terrorist group or an extremist organization made a phrase like “The caliphate is the solution” their slogan. “We would then ban such an organization or take action against it if the relevant legal requirements were met,” said the FDP politician. This would then also affect their symbols – “but that is not the case today or not yet.”
Faeser: Security authorities are targeting the Islamist scene
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) emphasized that the security authorities had the Islamist scene in Germany firmly in their sights. “We use all instruments: from intelligence observation to intensive investigations,” she told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Saturday). In the last few months alone, the authorities have struck early several times to prevent planned attacks.
Faeser assured that those who fantasized about a caliphate in Hamburg would also be in the focus of the security authorities. “In our constitutional state, we can only ban such groups if the high legal requirements are met,” explained the minister. The caliphate as a form of rule dates from the time after the death of the Prophet of Islam, Mohammed, in 632 AD; the caliph was both a religious and secular ruler.
Faeser described the strict requirements of the Hamburg authorities as correct. The security authorities also monitored very closely whether the ban on the terrorist organization Hamas and the Samidoun group was being violated. “This is a criminal offense that allows for immediate action even during demonstrations.”