🇵🇸 A year ago, university protests against the genocide in the Gaza Strip committed by Israeli troops took place in Berlin. An activist from our organization took part in them, and he is now charged under § 86a (“use of symbols of unconstitutional and terrorist organizations”) for the slogan “From the river to the sea – Palestine will be free”. The protests were subjected to massive police violence, and the persecution continues to this day.
This slogan is widely used by left-wing forces around the world: it expresses the demand for a secular, multinational Palestine – a state for all people living on its territory, including Jews. The slogan is directed against occupation and colonization, and does not contain anti-Semitism. The idea of a binational state was long put forward by the socialist forces that dominated the Palestinian movement – precisely as a project for a secular, multinational and socialist Palestine.
❗️Why is this important:
🔴 Repression and total control in universities undermine free thought and critical thinking — the basis of a liberal arts education. Migrants are particularly affected: they are at risk of expulsion and deportation.
🔴 Based on the charges, our comrade faces up to 100 days of arrest and a ban on teaching. For young scientists, a ban on work is a serious blow to their career.
🔴 There is no place for violence, occupation, ethnic nationalism and colonization — from Donetsk to Gaza. And there is no place for the persecution of left-wing activists either in the post-Soviet space or in the West.
✊ We support our comrade and call on everyone who can to come to court and show that solidarity is stronger than intimidation.
When and where:
🕜 Friday, June 20, 2025 The hearing starts at 9:15 a.m., but it is better to arrive 30 minutes before the start to have time to enter the courtroom.
📍Tiergarten District Court
Turmstraße 91, 10559 Berlin
Sitzungsaal A 863, 3rd floor
