Remarks on Arab Citizens and Hamas (November 2023)
In November 2023, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier made remarks urging people of Arab and Palestinian descent in Germany to clearly distance themselves from Hamas and antisemitism. Speaking at a roundtable with Jewish and Muslim leaders in Berlin on November 8, he emphasized that while individuals have the constitutional right to express their pain over civilian casualties in Gaza, such expressions should not include calls for the destruction of Israel or support for terrorist organizations like Hamas
Steinmeier stated, "I urge you, the people with Palestinian or Arab roots here in Germany, do not let yourselves be instrumentalized by the accomplices of Hamas!". He further asserted that those who call for the destruction of Israel are not entitled to the same freedoms of expression guaranteed by Germany's constitution
Steinmeier stated, "I urge you, the people with Palestinian or Arab roots here in Germany, do not let yourselves be instrumentalized by the accomplices of Hamas!". He further asserted that those who call for the destruction of Israel are not entitled to the same freedoms of expression guaranteed by Germany's constitution
Sources
bundespraesident
Speech by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Roundtable "War in the Middle East – preserving peaceful coexistence in Germany"
Global Village Space
Arab and Palestinian descent to distance themselves from anti-Semitism says President Steinmeier