Germany is home to the largest Palestinian community in Europe, with approximately 80,000 Palestinians residing in the country. Over the years, German authorities have sought to restrict Palestinian activism, which they view as conflicting with their policy of "unconditional support for Israel." This has led to occasional bans on demonstrations, such as one marking the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, and increased scrutiny of organizations like the Palestinian prisoner solidarity network, Samidoun.
Recently, the issue of criminalizing solidarity with Palestine has taken a more prominent role in the national discourse. What makes this situation noteworthy is that talking points, previously associated with far-right AfD politicians, are now openly articulated by politicians from various parliamentary parties in Germany. This has involved invoking the concept of "imported antisemitism." Chancellor Olaf Scholz of the social democratic party has even suggested the need for "large-scale deportations" of residents without German citizenship who openly protest against Israel. The Christian Democrats (CDU) have gone a step further, proposing that recognition of Israel's right to exist should be a precondition for acquiring German citizenship.