Anti-Semitism commissioner corrects demands for demos
North Rhine-Westphalia's anti-Semitism commissioner Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger has corrected her controversial statements on the freedom of assembly of foreigners. The FDP politician told the German Press Agency in Düsseldorf on Monday that she regrets having caused confusion with false and misleading statements. She was in no way arguing that the right of assembly should only be granted to Germans. "Of course foreigners have the right to assemble," she emphasized.
Her only concern was that more intensive checks should be carried out in advance to determine who is registering an assembly and whether there are links to banned organizations or indications of previous anti-Semitic or similarly problematic statements. "And of course a migration background can also play a role here. But not in the sense that they have no right to assemble, but that this must be taken into consideration by the police when reporting an assembly."
At the weekend, Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger told the WDR magazine "Westpol" that when an assembly is registered, it must be checked "what the nationality is, because it is one of the few basic rights that only Germans are entitled to". The former Federal Minister of Justice was referring to Article 8 of the Basic Law. It states: "All Germans have the right to assemble peacefully and without weapons without registration or permission." This is an opportunity "to issue a ban in advance, which is otherwise difficult for assemblies under our assembly law".
Despite her initial remarks causing confusion, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger clarified that she never intended to deny the right to demonstrate for foreigners. However, she advocated for more rigorous checks before approving demonstrations to prevent conflicts with banned organizations or individuals with a history of problematic statements.
Source: www.dpa.com
