Translation:
Essen’s mayor Thomas Kufen (CDU) reacts with horror to a demonstration in his city on Friday evening. 3,000 people, including many Islamists, marched through the Ruhr metropolis.
Essen’s mayor Thomas Kufen (CDU) reacted with outrage and incomprehension to an anti-Israel demonstration that marched through the Ruhr metropolis on Friday evening. Several of the approximately 3,000 participants chanted slogans and held up posters calling for a “Khilafah” (caliphate) in Germany. The three-hour procession on the edge of the city center was accompanied by 450 police officers and observed by state security.
According to the Essen police, the demonstration was registered by a private individual. However, the main organizer was apparently the “Generation Islam” group, which security experts consider to be part of the pan-Islamist movement “Hizb ut-Tahrir” (HuT) . HuT has been banned in Germany since 2003. The main speaker at the final rally in Essen was the activist Ahmad Tamim, the head of “Generation Islam.” The Islamic scholar Ahmad Omeirate told WAZ that Tamim was “using the Middle East conflict for mobilization and radicalization.”
Mayor Kufen regretted on Saturday morning that “Islamists, anti-democrats and Jew-haters” were allowed to parade through Essen protected by the freedom of assembly guaranteed by the Basic Law: “That is difficult to bear.” The CDU politician, who was the North Rhine-Westphalia state government’s integration officer from 2005 to 2010, called for consequences: “The Office for the Protection of the Constitution must take a closer look at Hizb ut-Tahrir’s splinter and successor groups. Bans must be an option.”
The demonstrators shouted slogans in Arabic and German on Friday evening. Posters condemned the Israeli military operation in Gaza (“Stop the genocide”) after the terrorist attack by the Palestinian Hamas, and one sign read: “German raison d’état calls for the killing of children.” The organizers initially used loudspeakers to remind people of the police requirement that no participant should question Israel’s right to exist. The tip-off was met with loud boos from the crowd.
At the beginning of the march, participants were also asked over loudspeakers to separate men and women. So it happened that most of the female demonstrators marched through the city behind the male participants. They repeatedly shouted “Allahu akbar” (“God is great”) and held up signs calling for the unity of all Muslim believers and the establishment of a caliphate in Germany. Individual demonstrators stuck their right index fingers in the air; This gesture is intended to symbolize belief in the “one God”, but is also seen as a symbol of the terrorist organization “Islamic State”. The design of several black and white banners and flags also resembled depictions of IS.
The Essen police announced on Saturday that they would subsequently analyze the Friday demonstration and examine its “criminal relevance”. It turned out that the motive for a pro-Palestine meeting was only a pretext. Instead, the organizers held a religious event.
If you read the article you would see that it is merely used as a pretext. As Germany initially banned all demonstrations in support for Palestinians it is no suprise that extremist groups could undermine the cause, as moderates werent willing to get beaten up by cops.
This is an expected effect that was deliberately caused by the German government. They full well knew before that banning moderate demonstrations will lead to radicals taking over. And it seems to be part of a strategy to rile up hate for muslims in general in conjunction with plans to step up deportations and limit access to refugee granted under human rights.
Now that’s a fun conspiracy theory to completely ignore the kind of people who protest against Israel.
And no one gets “beaten up” by the police at these protests. In fact the police had to establish protected zones for journalists to shield them from the “peace” protestors.
Like leftist Jews for example? There definitely a lot lf awful people protesting for Palestine at the moment. But to imply that it’s only one group or another and generally isn’t a super diverse group isn’t helpful either. The US just had the biggest anti-war protest since the Bush era.
So you are claiming that repression of protests does not lead to radicalization? So all of the effects observed at G20 in Hamburg, the Arab spring, the civil rights movement in the US, all that didn’t happen to you?
Except yes they were and there is plenty of videos online. Fun fact on the side. The Berlin police in Germany is currently facing criticism for violently attacking a peaceful climate protest too, where a protestor was smacked on the pavement and dragged away while being unconscious.
A complete nonsense connection you are trying to make here. German gov supposedly prohibiting pro terrorist demonstrations so only those would attend them? While at the same time having to create protected zones where journalists can report on the protests without getting attacked by the “peaceful” activists demanding a caliphate?
We have eyes, you know? And everyone sees what is going on.
This is disinformation, Germany did not ban all pro Palestinian protests.
The tone in mainstream media and from leading politicians at the very least strongly discourages any pro-Palestine demonstrations. But you’re right insofar as explicit bans only came down on two organisations, one of them being “Hamas” itself (which I think doesn’t really exist in Germany anyway).
Well said, I’d add more but not sure what the point is. There are so many agendas at play here, that arguing with them all is pointless.