Prosecution after statement at banned pro-Palestinian demonstration
The public prosecutor's office failed in its request for accelerated court proceedings - now the investigators have once again brought charges for a statement made at a banned solidarity rally for Palestinians in Munich. The accused is alleged to have said in front of the cameras that he approved of the attack on Israel by the terrorist organization Hamas at the beginning of October. The 27-year-old is accused of condoning criminal acts, the public prosecutor's office announced.
The central anti-Semitism commissioner of the Bavarian judiciary had taken up the investigation after the man's statement was broadcast on the Bavarian radio program "Kontrovers".
According to the investigators, the request for accelerated proceedings in the case was the first in Bavaria in connection with criminal offenses following the Hamas attack on Israel. However, such proceedings are only possible if it is a simple case with clear evidence. A judge at Munich District Court did not consider this requirement to be met and therefore rejected the application.
The public prosecutor's office therefore brought charges against the 27-year-old again on Thursday - this time in the normal way, without accelerated proceedings. A spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor General's Office said that the Munich Local Court would now once again decide whether to admit the charges.
The ongoing banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Munich have been marred by conflicts, leading to increased scrutiny by authorities. Unfortunately, such rallies have also been associated with instances of condemned crimes, including the approval of terrorist acts like Hamas's attack on Israel.
Source: www.dpa.com
