Hawzah News Agency- In a decision that challenges Germany's stringent restrictions on pro-Palestinian activism, the Higher Administrative Court in Münster ruled on Monday that denying ‘Israel's’ right to exist is not inherently criminal and falls under protected freedom of expression.
The ruling overturned a Düsseldorf police ban on a planned pro-Palestinian demonstration, allowing protesters to voice critical views on ‘Israel's’ founding.
The case stemmed from a protest organized for last Saturday in Düsseldorf, which police had prohibited based on concerns that participants would use slogans rejecting ‘Israel's’ existence.
The court, in an expedited proceeding, deemed the blanket ban unlawful, stating that "a critical examination of the founding of the state of Israel and the demand for a peaceful change of existing conditions are fundamentally protected by freedom of expression''.
Denying ‘Israel's’ right to exist "does not in itself constitute a criminal offense," the judges added, saying that such expressions must be evaluated in context rather than preemptively censored.
Critics, including human rights groups like Amnesty International, have accused officials of disproportionately suppressing Palestinian solidarity, arguing that such measures undermine free speech and equal treatment under the law.
Source: Roya News
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