A German court has fined a woman €600 (approximately $655) for using the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” during a protest last year. The ruling, announced on Tuesday, has been criticized by the woman’s lawyer as an attack on free speech. Lawyer Alexander Gorski, who represented the 22-year-old woman identified as Ava M. in Berlin, described the day as “a dark day for freedom of expression.” “My client only wanted to express her hope for a future of democratic coexistence for all people in the region,” he stated to AFP.
The announcement of the ruling comes after the woman has decided to appeal the decision. The court concluded that the use of the slogan could be interpreted as a denial of Israel’s right to exist and as support for Hamas’ attacks on October 7. According to local authorities, Israel had killed 1,537 Palestinians by October 11, which exceeded the number of Israelis killed in the attacks. Anti-war activists organized protests during this period calling for a ceasefire.
While Palestinian rights advocates argue that the slogan “from the river to the sea” is an aspirational call for freedom and equality in historic Palestine, supporters of Israel contend that it encourages the destruction of the state. The use of the slogan was banned by German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser in November.
Israel controls the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, where leading human rights organizations allege that Palestinians are subjected to a system of apartheid. Additionally, Israeli politicians often display maps that include the occupied Palestinian territory, effectively suggesting that Israel extends from the river to the sea.
Germany has long been a steadfast supporter of Israel and is among the country’s largest arms suppliers. Reports indicate that the Israeli offensive in Gaza has claimed at least 39,653 lives, flattened large areas, and brought the more than two million inhabitants to the brink of starvation.
Domestically, Berlin has tightened its grip on Palestinian rights activism. Earlier this year, the country passed a law requiring immigrants seeking German citizenship to affirm Israel’s right to exist. In April, a pro-Palestinian conference in Berlin was canceled by the police, and authorities have regularly broken up protests against the war in Gaza, detaining demonstrators.
Earlier this year, British-Palestinian doctor Ghassan Abu Sittah, who worked in Gaza during the early months of the war, was denied entry to Germany.