The Crackdown on Pro-Palestinian Protests Exposes Europe’s Growing Authoritarianism
As the bombs rain down on Gaza and a tragic humanitarian catastrophe unfolds, some of Europe’s most powerful nations have given their unconditional backing to Israel. Such support not only includes military assistance and diplomatic cover but also involves a crackdown on the various protests and rallies seeking to demonstrate support for the Palestinian people.
In Germany, police detained hundreds of activists demonstrating against the war, and authorities in Berlin have given the go ahead for just two pro-Palestinian protests (both silent vigils) whilst banning at least seven others. The assault on democratic rights has been even more pronounced in France where the government attempted to ban all pro-Palestinian protests on public order grounds. While the blanket ban was overturned on appeal, France’s highest court nonetheless left open the option that protests could be “banned on a case-by-case basis”.
Already, the French government has outlawed several rallies. In Paris alone, nine pro-Palestinian protests were banned and police even went as far as issuing an outrageous prohibition on the “presence and circulation of people that present themselves as pro-Palestinian”. Over the past week police have issued at least 752 fines and arrested 43 people, whilst those who defy the…
