Berlin’s immigration authorities are moving to deport four young foreign residents on allegations related to participation in protests against Israel’s war on Gaza, an unprecedented move that raises serious concerns over civil liberties in Germany.

The deportation orders, issued under German migration law, were made amid political pressure and over internal objections from the head of the state of Berlin’s immigration agency.

The internal strife arose because three of those targeted for deportation are citizens of European Union member states who normally enjoy freedom of movement between E.U. countries. None of the four has been convicted of any crimes.

“What we’re seeing here is straight out of the far right’s playbook,” said Alexander Gorski, a lawyer representing two of the protesters. “You can see it in the U.S. and Germany, too: Political dissent is silenced by targeting the migration status of protesters.”

  • 404UsernameNotFound@lemmy.wtf
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    2 days ago

    The challenge lies in the fact that criticism of Israel is often intertwined with accusations of anti-Semitism. Germany finds itself in a delicate position: on one hand, it has pledged unwavering support to the state of Israel; on the other hand, it must uphold the right to dissent and allow protests against Israeli policies.

    • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      It’s not delicate at all.

      If you don’t stick to your values when they’re being tested, they’re not values: they’re hobbies.

      —Jon Stewart

      • 404UsernameNotFound@lemmy.wtf
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        2 days ago

        I don’t understand how the quote applies to the situation described. Germany has a deep responsibility to support Israel because of its history with the Holocaust. However, it also believes in free speech and the right to protest. The challenge is balancing these two—supporting Israel while allowing criticism of its policies without crossing into anti-Semitism.

        • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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          2 days ago

          No, Germany feels a responsibility to help Jews as reparations for the holocaust. Not a blank check to the rightwing Israeli government or giving them a pass when they violate international law. And certainly not violating Germany’s free speech laws by arresting nonviolent protestors condemning a foreign government for their war crimes. There’s no challenge here unless you think every protestor is an anti-Semite.

          • 404UsernameNotFound@lemmy.wtf
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            1 day ago

            Here’s the thing: in your view of the world, everything appears simple—everything is either black or white. Protesters are good; cops are bad. Palestine is good; Jews are bad. In reality, the world is far more nuanced.

            • SulaymanF@lemmy.world
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              15 hours ago

              Not at all what I believe but you’re looking for some kind of excuse to dismiss what I’m saying. I find that it’s always the excuse by Zionists on this sub when an atrocity is pointed out that they support, “it’s complicated,” as if that is a reason to keep up with the injustice. In this case, no it’s not complicated. Germany is violating their free speech laws and undermining their commitment to international law because they are supporting an atrocity. There’s actually easy solutions here with a sensible middle ground, and of course Germany isn’t doing it.

              Peace.

    • IndustryStandard@lemmy.worldOP
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      2 days ago

      Choosing between an incredibly bad lie to commit genocide and not committing genocide must be a hard choice for Germany, knowing their history and regret for their previous genocide

      No wait, Germany is supporting genocide again.

      “Germany has pledged unwavering support to a genocidal colonial apartheid” really is not the own Germans think it is.