EU, US citizens face deportation from Germany

EU and the US citizens were on Friday, April 4, 2025, accused of criminal offenses during pro-Palestinian protests in Berlin.

Reports say the four citizens of the EU and US have not been convicted.

Their lawyers are fighting to prevent their deportation.

Berlin authorities want to deport four foreign nationals residing legally in Germany.

They, according to the police, were involved in “violent” pro-Palestinian protests in Berlin.

Three of those involved are European Union (EU) citizens, two from Ireland, one from Poland, and the fourth person is a US citizen.

The news platform The Intercept was the first to report on the deportation plans.

All four received notifications from the Berlin state immigration office in mid-March terminating their residency status in Germany.

The Berlin Senate Department for Internal Affairs confirmed this to DW.com.

It said that the decisions were “in connection with the incidents at the Freie Universität [FU] Berlin on October 17, 2024.”

GERMANY’S STAND ON PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS

The Berlin Senate Administration alleges that on that day a group of masked people “violently” entered a university building.

This it said “resulted in significant damage to property inside the building, including graffiti relating to the ‘Israel-Palestine complex,’ as well as other criminal acts.”

The slogans “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Free Gaza” and the red triangle symbol were painted on the walls.

The Interior Ministry considers the red triangle symbol in the context of Israel and the Palestinian territories to be a symbol of Hamas.

This is recognized as a terrorist organization by the German government.

While the red triangle symbol has other historical uses in Germany.

It is used in various ways relating to Palestinian and Arab history.

In order to expel the three EU citizens in question, they were deprived of their EU right to freedom of movement, which normally allows them to stay in Germany.

This was confirmed to online media sources by lawyer Alexander Gorski.

“These orders were issued based on the several criminal charges against our clients. However, there have been no criminal convictions,” emphasized Gorski.

Gorski represents two of the four defendants.

He has still not been given access to the criminal files relating to the incident at the FU.

DISCORD OVER PROTESTS

The four people involved are also said to have taken part in other pro-Palestinian rallies in the wake of the October 7, 2023, terror attacks.

During the attacks, Hamas invaded Israel, and this resulted to the Israel-Hamas war.

Many demonstrators want to protest the actions of the Israeli military in Gaza.

They also want to draw attention to the suffering of the civilian population in the Palestinian territory.

Activists have criticized Germany in particular for disproportionately harsh treatment and restrictions on freedom of expression.

Activist and writer Yasmeen Daher said in an interview with reporters that many media outlets had simply portrayed all the demonstrators as antisemites.

Amnesty International has also been critical of German authorities’ actions.

The rights group said that prohibiting the slogan “From the river to the sea” and the red triangle with criminal consequences was going too far.

They believe that both demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinians and are not directly linked to Hamas.

German politicians interpret the slogan “From the river to the sea” as expressing a call for the destruction of Israel.

But the courts have repeatedly ruled it a peaceful expression of solidarity and the desire for equal rights for everyone in the region.

German authorities often justify their actions by claiming that they are trying to stem what is known as modern “Israel-oriented antisemitism.”

Berlin’s interior senator, Iris Spranger, alleged that there is a “danger of further radicalization” of a small, violent group of pro-Palestinian activists.

In a public statement, the FU leadership said of the October 17 events on its campus:

“The individuals were extremely violent and attacked employees physically and threatened them verbally.”

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