A few weeks ago, Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced a ban. Tens of thousands are expected to attend pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Berlin this weekend.
Interior Minister Faeser announced the ban on Thursday.
Imago / M. Popow
Hardly anyone knew about the Palestinian Samidoun network before October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel. Afterwards, his supporters gained negative notoriety: To celebrate the attack on Israel as an act of Palestinian “resistance,” Samidoun members distributed sweets in honor of Hamas to cheering Arabs on Berlin’s Sonnenallee.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser banned the Samidoun club on Thursday. This means: assets will be confiscated, internet presence and activities in social networks will be banned. Anyone who continues to be active for the organizations is committing a criminal offense. Anyone who does not have German citizenship risks losing their residence permit. Hamas was banned from operating.
The police fear riots. The decision will be felt on the streets in the next few nights, according to the Berlin regional association of the police union GdP. Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been announced for the coming weekend; Tens of thousands of participants are expected in Berlin alone.
Club bans also existed under Seehofer
German associations that were close to Hamas were banned by Faeser’s Christian Social predecessor Horst Seehofer in 2021. Hamas is not active as an association in Germany and therefore cannot be banned as such. The EU has classified Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed this classification. The Federal Prosecutor General also classifies Hamas as a terrorist organization. Therefore, any activity was banned. Hamas has been on the United States’ terrorist list since 2001. In Germany, however, the organization was able to operate under restrictions.
As early as 2014, the then Christian Democratic Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière issued a ban on the activities of the so-called Islamic State in order to prevent its activities in Germany.
The danger with bans of this kind is always that the people involved simply organize themselves differently and thereby gain time until the security authorities track them down. The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution is monitoring Islamists with increased attention. According to estimates by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Germany, there are around 450 people behind Hamas, many of whom are German citizens.
The Central Council of Jews welcomes the decision
“The terrorist organization Hamas pursues the goal of destroying the state of Israel,” said Faeser. “We see their propaganda in Germany with their particularly aggressive demonstration behavior and especially through attacks on Jewish institutions and Jewish homes.”
The President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, welcomed the Interior Minister’s decision. He said about the members of Samidoun: “They spread their Islamist ideological poison for far too long – and it became clear in the short term that in Germany they are a front organization for Hamas’ ideology of destruction.”
The Israeli ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, said in an interview with the NZZ shortly after the Hamas attack that organizations like Samidoun were collecting money to build terrorist infrastructure in Gaza. Accordingly, Prosor praised Faeser’s decision on Thursday on X (formerly Twitter).
BANNED today: the Samidoun organization and its supporters. We extend our thanks to Federal Minister of the Interior @NancyFaeserfor her unwavering decision to outlaw and dismantle the Samidoun organization, as well as to prohibit any association with the terrorist organization…
— Ambassador Ron Prosor (@Ron_Prosor) November 2, 2023
Shortly after Hamas’ terrorist attack on Israel at the beginning of October, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) promised a ban on the two organizations’ activities. “It is to be hoped that the prior announcement of the bans did not eliminate all evidence and that the effect of the ban would be weakened,” noted the President of the German-Israeli Society, Volker Beck, who described the step as “a long time ago overdue” welcomed.
Scholz faced competition on Wednesday evening from Green Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who published a highly regarded ten-minute speech that was viewed millions of times and even earned him applause from his political opponents.
The Hamas terrorist attack on #Israel it’s been almost four weeks now. A lot has happened since then and the public debate has become heated and confused. In the video there are some thoughts from Vice Chancellor and Minister Robert #Habeck for classification and differentiation. pic.twitter.com/v79XcHpVZo
— Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (@BMWK) November 1, 2023
In it, Habeck tries to “unravel” the current situation in the Middle East, clearly sides with Israel and emphasizes that burning Israeli flags is a crime for which one will be taken to court. Foreigners also risked losing their residence permit, and those without such a permit risked deportation. The speech was overwhelmingly received enthusiastically in the press and social networks.
2023-11-02 15:15:58
#Faeser #bans #Hamas #Samidoun
