Bavaria wants to ban Hamas cheers against Israel
Bavaria wants to criminalize the promotion of sympathy for terrorist groups, such as the cheering of Hamas supporters over attacks on Israel, through a Bundesrat initiative. The cabinet passed the corresponding motion in Munich on Tuesday. Justice Minister Georg Eisenreich (CSU) had already campaigned for this last week at the conference of federal and state justice ministers.
The background to the demand are incidents in German cities in connection with the Hamas attack on Israel. As the State Chancellery in Munich announced, there were subsequent gatherings in numerous cities "at which the barbaric actions against the state of Israel and its people were celebrated". The current criminal law does not do full justice to the "particular injustice of these acts. Anyone who celebrates the terror of Hamas is making an intolerable mockery of the suffering of the victims."
State Chancellery Leader Florian Herrmann (CSU) emphasized that the criminal liability loophole in Section 129a of the German Criminal Code must be closed. The law must clearly state: "Propaganda for terrorists will not be tolerated in Germany." He added that sympathy advertising was the first step towards recruiting supporters or even members.
Until 2002, advertising for terrorist organizations was punishable without restriction. According to the state government, the then red-green federal government relaxed the law and restricted it to targeted "recruitment of members and supporters" in the face of opposition from Bavaria. As a result, the Free State repeatedly campaigned for a renewed ban, which is now to be made punishable again "as quickly as possible" with the draft bill for the Bundesrat.
For its part, the Conference of Justice Ministers declared last week that it wanted to examine how Jews in Germany could be better protected against anti-Semitic hostility. The criminal liability of certain statements about Israel is also to be examined.
The proposed ban in Bavaria against Hamas cheers is a response to conflicts between Hamas and Israel, where celebrations of attacks on Israel are seen as a form of extremism. This issue highlights the need for justice, as anyone celebrating Hamas terror is mocking the victims' suffering. Additionally, the call for a renewed ban on advertising for terrorist groups in federal states is warranted, as the current law does not adequately address the issue of propagating terrorism.
Source: www.dpa.com
