- cross-posted to:
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- cross-posted to:
- [email protected]
Berlin’s immigration authorities are moving to deport four young foreign residents on allegations related to participation in protests against Israel’s war on Gaza, an unprecedented move that raises serious concerns over civil liberties in Germany.
The deportation orders, issued under German migration law, were made amid political pressure and over internal objections from the head of the state of Berlin’s immigration agency.
The internal strife arose because three of those targeted for deportation are citizens of European Union member states who normally enjoy freedom of movement between E.U. countries. None of the four has been convicted of any crimes.
“What we’re seeing here is straight out of the far right’s playbook,” said Alexander Gorski, a lawyer representing two of the protesters. “You can see it in the U.S. and Germany, too: Political dissent is silenced by targeting the migration status of protesters.”
The Tagesspiegel as well. One of the German papers of middle size. They also asked sources independently.
The account in the linked article presents a completely different version of events compared to the original narrative by TheIntercept.com. According to the Tagesspiegel article, individuals armed with axes reportedly forced their way into the Free University of Berlin, where they threatened staff members and caused damage to the premises.
It’s not a different version. Just a different spin on the same story. It changes nothing. Notice how the Tagesspiegel only says that some of the protesters used axes to break into a building, then threatened employees but not if they used the axes for it. It does not say they used them as arms. It also does not say if the protesters that threatened people and vandalised the building are the ones that are now about to be deported just that they also broke in. It implies it though. The wonderful thing about implications is that you can imply stuff about someone that isn’t falsifiedable. So it does not add relevant details about the four people threatened by deportation. Just spin. You are being toyed with.
In Germany, breaking and entering can lead to deportation if it’s considered a serious crime and affects public safety. Authorities review each case individually based on the person’s situation and the severity of the offense(Aufenthaltsgesetz). However, none of the four have been convicted of any crimes which is odd. Overall, the case is not as The Intercept portrays it. It was not merely a peaceful protest leading to an unjust deportation, nor is it in any way comparable to the situation unfolding in the United States.