Germany is threatening Ali Abunimah for this talk about Palestine

According to the article, the German government has threatened journalist Ali Abunimah with fines and up to one year in prison for participating in the online Palestine Conference in Exile.

[[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

Just two hours before Abunimah's scheduled talk, he received a 15-page notice from German authorities prohibiting him from speaking at the conference in any way, including online.

[[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

This is part of a broader pattern of repression by the German government against those who dare to speak out about Palestine. In April 2024, German authorities violently raided and shut down a previous Palestine conference in Berlin, banning several speakers including Abunimah, Greek politician Yanis Varoufakis, and others. [[1]]

(https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

The only person who managed to speak before that conference was journalist Hebh Jamal, who was then also targeted for participating in the recent online conference. [[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

Germany's Complicity in Israeli Genocide

Abunimah's talk was intended to expose Germany's role in supporting Israel's ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza.

[[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

He argues that the German government, under Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, has spread "fabricated Israeli atrocity propaganda that justifies and incites genocide" against Palestinians.

[[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

The article traces Germany's historical complicity with Zionism, dating back to the 19th century and continuing through the Nazi era and into the present day.

[[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine) It notes that many former Nazis occupied senior positions in the West German government after World War II, including Chancellor Kurt Kiesinger, who had been a "high officer of Nazi propaganda" during the war.

[[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

Even the German intelligence service, the BND, was founded by a senior Nazi spy chief, Reinhard Gehlen.

[[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

Suppressing Dissent and Solidarity

The crackdown on the Palestine conference is part of a broader effort by the German government to suppress dissent and solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The article cites the case of Palestinian-Canadian activist Khaled Barakat, who was barred from speaking at a Palestine solidarity event in Berlin in 2019 and threatened with up to one year in prison. [[2]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/germany-threatens-journalist-prison-speaking-about-palestine)

The authorities claimed Barakat's speeches posed a "threat to public order" and could "undermine relations" between Germany and Israel.

[[2]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/germany-threatens-journalist-prison-speaking-about-palestine)

However, the document issued by the government failed to cite any examples of anti-Semitism in Barakat's speeches, suggesting the real motivation was to prevent a "united front" from emerging in support of Palestinian rights.

[[2]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/germany-threatens-journalist-prison-speaking-about-palestine)

Conclusion

The German government's actions against Abunimah and other activists highlight its complicity in Israel's ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. By criminalizing speech and dissent, Germany is betraying the lessons of its own history and aligning itself with the forces of oppression. As Abunimah stated, "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws," and he was right to defy the German government's attempts to silence him.

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Learn more:
1. [Germany is threatening me with prison for this talk on Palestine | The Electronic Intifada](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)
2. [Germany threatens journalist with prison for speaking about Palestine | The Electronic Intifada](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/germany-threatens-journalist-prison-speaking-about-palestine)
3. [Germany | The Electronic Intifada](https://electronicintifada.net/tags/germany)

Summary of the key points:

- Ali Abunimah, a journalist with The Electronic Intifada, was threatened with fines and up to 1 year in prison by German authorities for giving a talk on Palestine at the online Palestine Conference in Exile. [[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

- The German government claimed Abunimah's talk would "impair and endanger the peaceful coexistence of Germans and foreigners" and that Germany's relationship with Israel could be "considerably endangered" if he was allowed to speak. [[2]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/germany-threatens-journalist-prison-speaking-about-palestine)

- The authorities accused Abunimah of potentially making "anti-Semitic and anti-Israel statements", despite not providing any specific examples of such statements. [[2]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/germany-threatens-journalist-prison-speaking-about-palestine)

- This is part of a broader pattern of Germany cracking down on pro-Palestinian activism and speech, including banning speakers, raiding conferences, and threatening activists with fines and imprisonment. [[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)[[2]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/germany-threatens-journalist-prison-speaking-about-palestine)

- The article argues that this censorship is rooted in Germany's historical complicity with Zionism, dating back to the 19th century, and the continued presence of former Nazis in positions of power in post-WWII West Germany. [[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

- The author contends that modern Germany, despite its claims of being a democracy, is repeating the mistakes of its past by suppressing dissent and supporting Israel's genocide of Palestinians. [[1]](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)

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Learn more:
1. [Germany is threatening me with prison for this talk on Palestine | The Electronic Intifada](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/germany-threatening-me-prison-talk-palestine)
2. [Germany threatens journalist with prison for speaking about Palestine | The Electronic Intifada](https://electronicintifada.net/blogs/riri-hylton/germany-threatens-journalist-prison-speaking-about-palestine)
3. [Germany | The Electronic Intifada](https://electronicintifada.net/tags/germany)