Germany’s ruling parties agree on landmark resolution to fight antisemitism
Non-binding declaration says groups calling for boycotts of Israel or questioning its right to exist should not get public funding
BERLIN, Germany — Germany’s ruling parties have agreed on a landmark resolution on combatting antisemitism that will be put to parliament this week, political sources said Saturday.
The statement, which is non-binding, aims to toughen the official campaign against antisemitism that has made headlines since the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught in Israel sparked a still-ongoing war.
Intensely debated by lawmakers of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP), Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) with the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), the draft says no group that “questions the right of Israel to exist or calls for a boycott of Israel” should receive public funding.
It says the mounting antisemitism is “more and more manifest and violent in far-right circles” and also linked to “left-wing anti-imperialism” groups.
The resolution will be submitted to parliament this coming week.
The aim is to “protect, preserve and strengthen Jewish life in Germany,” according to a version seen by AFP.
Supporters say the statement is needed in response to the growing number of antisemitic attacks in Germany since the October 7 assault. Critics, however, argue that some parts of the text will restrict academic and cultural liberties.
On top of the finance ban, the text says antisemitic groups’ access to educational buildings should be limited and in some cases they should even be excluded from lessons or expelled.
German universities, as elsewhere in Europe and North America, have seen noisy anti-Israel demonstrations over the past year and fierce criticism of Israel’s military offensive.
About 100 Jewish artists and intellectuals living in Germany who oppose the proposed text issued a statement claiming that it “does not achieve its own stated goals. It will weaken, rather than strengthen, the diversity of Jewish life in Germany by associating all Jews with the actions of the Israeli government.”
A rival text drawn up by legal experts has been backed by some 600 university, cultural and civic society figures.
