The ban on the controversial slogan “From the river to the sea – Palestine will be free” at two pro-Palestinian rallies in Duisburg and Düsseldorf was legal. The Düsseldorf Administrative Court ruled this and dismissed the organizers’ lawsuit.
Police had banned the use of the slogan at the demonstrations on April 10 in Duisburg and December 2, 2023 in Düsseldorf because it was punishable by law. Rightly so, the court found.
The slogan is typical of the Samidoun association, which is banned by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, as well as the terrorist organization Hamas, according to a statement in the reasons for the decision. People who registered for the Duisburg demonstration did not outwardly distance themselves from Samidoun. In Düsseldorf, it is unclear whether the slogan will not be used in the spirit of Hamas.
The slogan “From the river to the sea – Palestine will be free” means that the Palestinian state will cover the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea should stretch. This can be understood as a call for the destruction of Israel, the expulsion and extermination of the Jewish population.
An application for permission to appeal may be submitted against a decision to be passed by the Higher Administrative Court in Münster.
