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Police ban pro-Palestinian congress in Berlin

Police interrupted and cancelled a controversial pro-Palestinian conference in Berlin less than an hour after it started on Friday, citing concerns about anti-Semitic statements.

Published: 13 April 2024 09:15 CEST

Police officers stand guard in front of the entrance to the venue of the so-called Palestine Conference in Berlin, Germany on April 12, 2024. Police later cancelled the pro-Palestinian conference, citing concerns about anti-Semitic statements. (Photo by JOHN MACDOUGALL / AFP)

Officers initially halted the congress because one of the speakers was subject to a ban on political activity in Germany, police wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Police did not give the name of the speaker, but participants in the congress wrote on X that it was Palestinian researcher Salman Abu Sitta.

Police then later wrote on X that they had banned the remainder of the conference, which was due to last until Sunday.

“There is a risk that a speaker who has already made anti-Semitic or violence-glorifying public statements in the past will be invited to speak again,” they said.

The conference had been heavily criticised before it began and did not disclose its location until Friday morning due to security concerns.

Berlin police on Friday said they had dispatched 930 officers, including reinforcements from other regions of Germany, to secure the event.

On the congress website, the organisers denounce “Israeli apartheid and genocide” and accuse Germany of “being complicit”.

Kai Wegner, the mayor of Berlin, said on X he found it “intolerable” that the congress was taking place in Berlin.

“Berlin does not tolerate anti-Semitism, hatred and incitement against Jews,” he wrote.

Es ist unerträglich, dass ein sog. Palästina-Kongress in Berlin stattfinden wird. Berlin duldet keinen Antisemitismus, Hass und Hetze gegen Jüdinnen und Juden. Die @polizeiberlin wird konsequent durchgreifen, sollte es dort zu antisemitischen Äußerungen oder Straftaten kommen.

— Kai Wegner (@kaiwegner) April 12, 2024

The organisers on Friday wrote in a Telegram post that Ghassan Abu Sittah, a Palestinian doctor specialising in plastic and reconstructive surgery, had been denied entry into Germany to attend the conference.

The outbreak of the war in Gaza has roiled Germany, where Berlin’s staunch backing for Israel has prompted protests that pro-Palestinian voices are being marginalised.

The conflict erupted after an unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas gunmen on October 7 in which around 1,160 people were killed, mostly civilians, according to Israeli official figures.

Israel afterwards vowed to eradicate Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. More than 33,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed as a result, according to the Gaza health ministry.

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Output is expected to expand 0.3 percent this year, the economy ministry said, up from a prediction of 0.2 percent in February.

The slightly rosier picture comes after improvements in key indicators — from factory output to business activity — boosted hopes a recovery may be getting under way.

The German economy shrank slightly last year, hit by soaring inflation, a manufacturing slowdown and weakness in trading partners, and has acted as a major drag on the 20-nation eurozone.

But releasing its latest projections, the economy ministry said in a statement there were growing indications of a “turning point”.

“Signs of an economic upturn have increased significantly, especially in recent weeks,” Economy Minister Robert Habeck said at a press conference.

The ministry also cut its forecast for inflation this year to 2.4 percent, from a previous prediction of 2.8 percent, and sees the figure falling below two percent next year.

“The fall in inflation will lead to consumer demand — people have more money in their wallets again, and will spend this money,” said Habeck.

“So purchasing power is increasing, real wages are rising and this will contribute to a domestic economic recovery.”

Energy prices — which surged after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine — had also fallen and supply chain woes had eased, he added.

Several months ago there had been expectations of a strong rebound in 2024, with forecasts of growth above one percent, but these were dialled back at the start of the year as the economy continued to languish.

‘Germany has fallen behind’

But improving signs have fuelled hopes the lumbering economy — while not about to break into a sprint — may at least be getting back on its feet.

On Wednesday a closely-watched survey from the Ifo institute showed business sentiment rising for a third consecutive month in April, and more strongly than expected.

A key purchasing managers’ index survey this week showed that business activity in Germany had picked up.

And last week the central bank, the Bundesbank, forecast the economy would expand slightly in the first quarter, dodging a recession, after earlier predicting a contraction.

German Economics Minister Robert Habeck

Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) presents the latest economic forecasts at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday, April 24th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Michael Kappeler

Despite the economy’s improving prospects, growth of 0.3 percent is still slower than other developed economies and below past rates, and officials fret it is unlikely to pick up fast in the years ahead.

Habeck has repeatedly stressed solutions are needed for deep-rooted problems facing Germany, from an ageing population to labour shortages and a transition towards greener industries that is moving too slowly.

“Germany has fallen behind other countries in terms of competitiveness,” he said. “We still have a lot to do — we have to roll up our sleeves.”

Already facing turbulence from pandemic-related supply chain woes, the German economy’s problems deepened dramatically when Russia invaded Ukraine and slashed supplies of gas, hitting the country’s crucial manufacturers hard.

While the energy shock has faded, continued weakness in trading partners such as China, widespread strikes in recent months and higher eurozone interest rates have all prolonged the pain.

The European Central Bank has signalled it could start cutting borrowing costs in June, which would boost the eurozone.

But Habeck stressed that care was still needed as, despite the expectations of imminent easing, “tight monetary policy has not yet been lifted.”

In addition, disagreements in Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party ruling coalition are hindering efforts to reignite growth, critics say.

This week the pro-business FDP party, a coalition partner, faced an angry backlash from Scholz’s SPD when it presented a 12-point plan for an “economic turnaround”, including deep cuts to state benefits.

Christian Lindner, the fiscally hawkish FDP finance minister, welcomed signs of “stabilisation” in the economic forecasts but stressed that projected medium-term growth was “too low to sustainably finance our state”.

“There are no arguments for postponing the economic turnaround,” he added.