German court rules ban on Palestinian doctor’s speech was unlawful

A German court has ruled that authorities illegally prevented a British-Palestinian surgeon from participating in a pro-Palestinian event in Berlin, local media reported on Tuesday, Anadolu reports.

The Berlin Administrative Court ruled that immigration authorities had no legal grounds to prevent Dr. Ghassan Abu-Sittah from speaking at the event last April. Authorities had alleged that the doctor sympathized with Hamas and might commit a criminal offense during the event.

Abu-Sittah, a British-Palestinian surgeon who treated wounded Palestinians in Gaza for about a month during Israel’s military campaign, was denied entry to Germany when he arrived to speak at the congress. The event was ultimately shut down by police after just two hours.

According to a court spokesperson, the ruling found that the ban, based on a clause in Germany’s residency law, was unlawful as there was no reasonable expectation that Abu-Sittah’s statements would have endangered Germany’s democratic order or public safety.

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In court, the doctor’s attorney emphasized that Abu-Sittah neither approved nor endorsed the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023. The attorney emphasized that his criticism of Israeli hospital strikes, which resulted in numerous child casualties, was protected under freedom of expression.

Germany has maintained strong support for Israel, with government officials frequently citing the country’s special responsibility toward Israel stemming from its Nazi history.

Since October 2023, German authorities have significantly restricted pro-Palestinian activities by prohibiting hundreds of protests, canceling cultural events, and barring prominent international figures from speaking at pro-Palestinian events in the country.

Critics argue that Berlin offers unconditional support to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial policies while turning a blind eye to crimes against humanity and war crimes committed by the Israeli military in Gaza.

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