“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”—the controversial slogan often heard being chanted at pro-Palestinian demonstrations—could soon be considered a criminal offense in Germany, and put in the same category as the swastika and other Nazi symbols.
Germany’s Interior Ministry deems the slogan (in any language), a reference to the land between the Jordan River, which borders eastern Israel, and the Mediterranean Sea which is Israel’s western border, to be a “trademark” of Hamas, German media report.
Earlier in November, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) officially banned Hamas, the political and military organization governing the Gaza Strip. Various powers, among which the EU and the U.S., had already labeled Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Last Thursday, Faeser followed up that ban by clearly prohibiting the public display (including on social media) of Hamas “trademarks,” among them, its flag, symbols, creeds, the Hamas coat of arms, as well as the green headbands as worn by Hamas’ al-Qassam Brigades.
Under these would also fall the slogan “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” as heard at various pro-Palestinian demonstrations worldwide.
As recently as August, a Berlin judge ruled that the slogan can be interpreted in different ways and does not necessarily call for violence, and is therefore permissible. Protesters who shout the words also often defend themselves by arguing that they want a country in which Palestinians can live freely. In reality, it is a call for the genocide of the Jews and an obliteration of the state of Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
The slogan should be regarded as “propaganda” for a banned organization, said the prosecutor in Munich, the capital of Bavaria (comprising a fifth of its territory, Germany’s largest state).
While spreading such “propaganda” is technically punishable by up to three years in prison, in practice, the offending party only has to pay a fine.
Bavaria’s judiciary plans to move quickly so that the new regulation can be implemented, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported.
According to Berlin newspaper Tagesspiegel, the capital’s judiciary is still considering whether to follow suit. Both Berlin police and the prosecutor’s office told the newspaper that they will continue to take into account the “context.”
Berlin mayor Kai Wegner (CDU), on the other hand, opined that the Interior Ministry’s pronouncement was “not made as a joke” and that the punishment due to those who utter the slogan is made clear.
The Interior Ministry has not yet explained the motivation behind its decision to ban the slogan, though it likely has based it on Hamas’ 2017 charter, which states that a “complete liberation of Palestine, from the river to the sea” is its aim.
Ever since the October 7th massacre of mainly Jewish civilians by Hamas forces, Germany has been coming down hard on pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
During the first weeks, almost all such demonstrations were banned by police over fears that inflammatory or antisemitic language would be heard. Though strictly policed, in the past two weeks, more demonstrations (such as last Friday’s in Berlin, which went largely without incidents) have been allowed to take place.
