Editor's note: Irish Bloc Berlin – as well as writers, activists, media and Irish-Palestinian solidarity groups – have addressed an open letter to the Irish and German states and European Union condemning Germany’s role in Israel's ongoing onslaught on Gaza. The Ditch has signed this letter, which was delivered to the Dáil and German embassy in Dublin on 14 November. A protest titled Never Again for Anyone: Condemn German Repression and Complicity in Genocide takes place 16 November at the German Embassy. The Ditch will speak at this protest.
Open letter to the government of Ireland condemning the failure of the Irish government and EU to publicly denounce Germany's repeated contraventions of international law and active role in genocide
Our demands
Ireland: Publicly denounce Germany's role in the criminalisation of pro-Palestinian voices, and Germany's active participation in genocide in Palestine. Ireland must lead by example in Europe, immediately enacting the Occupied Territories Bill and standing firmly against German and Israeli genocidal words and acts on both European and global stages.
EU: Impose long overdue sanctions on Israel until it complies with international law and halts its genocidal campaign.
Germany: Immediately halt all military aid to Israel, and launch a parliamentary inquiry into the frightening levels of criminalisation and censorship of pro-Palestinian voices on German soil.
The Irish Bloc Berlin, in collaboration with a coalition of Irish-Palestinian solidarity groups, is organising a mass demonstration in Dublin to condemn the German government’s repression of Palestinian and pro-Palestinian voices, and its active role in the ongoing genocide in Palestine and violence across Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen. Germany provided 47 percent of Israel’s weapons imports in 2023, and doubled exports in the second half of 2024, having just announced another €100 million in military support in late October.
Over the past year, Germany has displayed an alarming escalation of authoritarianism and the repression of basic constitutional rights in service of its blind, uncritical support for Israel’s crimes against humanity. Earlier this year, an Irish-language pro-Palestinian event was brutally shut down by Berlin police, and since then, Irish pro-Palestinian activists have increasingly experienced surveillance and intimidation, as well as violent targeting at protests and Palestine solidarity events.
Berlin is home to the largest Palestinian community in Europe, and Palestinians, people of colour, and those without EU passports are disproportionately targeted in an escalating crackdown, as the Berlin police take their lead from the violent rhetoric of their political leaders. Freedom of speech is being crushed, and people are beaten, harassed, intimidated, and threatened with deportation for as little as attending a protest or "liking" a social media post. Amnesty International recently issued a demand for an independent investigation into police brutality in Berlin. Globally, leaders and thinkers such as UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese, climate activist Greta Thunberg and award-winning writer Arundhati Roy have joined the chorus of voices condemning Germany’s unwavering support for Israeli genocide and its shocking tactics to repress freedom of speech.
Germany’s swerve towards authoritarianism is especially shocking given the country's historical responsibility to stand against genocide and crimes against humanity. And yet today, Germany is trampling on its own constitution in support of Israel's genocidal campaign, silencing and punishing any who speak out, with the Berlin police chief going so far as to publicly attack the judiciary in the press for failing to convict enough people following arrests at demos, a grave overreach, and with the Bundestag having just passed a shocking new resolution giving the secret services power to determine eligibility for arts funding, research funding, and residency depending on "a mindset of solidarity with Israel". The irony that a nation that once declared “Never Again” in the aftermath of the Holocaust is now supporting the violent subjugation and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians cannot be overstated.
The German state's recent insistence that it will continue to supply further military aid to Israel, doubling down on IDF-led genocidal rhetoric, further deepens its complicity in these crimes. With this event, we aim to send a clear message to Ireland, Germany, and the EU that we will not tolerate this, and we intend to pressure the Irish government to publicly denounce Germany's role in this genocide.
This protest comes just days before the anniversary of 'Bloody Sunday' in 1920, when the Black and Tans opened fire on civilians at a Gaelic football match in Croke Park, Dublin, killing indiscriminately, in retaliation for an IRA assassination of British intelligence officers earlier that day. The timing underscores the stark parallels between Ireland’s long history of colonial oppression and the horrific collective punishment, violence and dehumanisation Palestinians are experiencing today. The very same soldiers responsible for the massacre in Ireland were later deployed to crush resistance in Palestine, particularly during the Arab Revolt of 1936-1939. The demonstration, titled "Never Again for Anyone: Condemn German Repression and Complicity in Genocide", will begin at 12.30pm outside the German Embassy in Dublin, with speeches from local and international activists and politicians, and will proceed to the Irish Parliament in Dublin City Centre for a closing event at 5pm.
Initiated by: Irish Bloc Berlin
Co-signatories:
1916 Societies
Anti Deportation Ireland
Apartheid-Free Arts
Apartheid-Free Dance
Artists Against GenocideAthlone Palestine Solidarity group
BDS Clare
Cairde Palestine Belfast
Cairdeas Falasteen ConamaraCommunist Party of Ireland - Women's Committee
East Clare for Palestine
East Clare Palestinian Support group
Ecojustice Ireland
Fermoy Solidarity Campaign
Folmens Climate Change Network
Gaels Against Genocide / Na Gaeil ar son Gaza
Galway Alliance Against War
Hosta Projects
IPSC Cavan
IPSC Galway
Ireland-Palestinian Solidarity Campaign
Irish Bloc ViennaIrish Farmers for Palestine
Irish OTs for Palestine
Irish Psychologists for Palestine
Jews for Palestine IrelandJüdische Stimme
Killarney for PalestineKillorglin 4 Palestine
Kinvara Palestine Solidarity Group
Maynooth BDSMothers Against Genocide
Mulholland Law
NCADSU
Nenagh Friends of Palestine
North Clare for Palestine
North Tipperary IPSC
Northern Ireland Council for Racial Equality
Palästina Kampagne
Palestine Aid
Praxis: The Artists' Union of Ireland
People Before Profit
Queerde Palestine Belfast
Queers for Palestine
Shannon Vigil group
Socialist Lawyers Association of Ireland
South Kerry Friends of Palestine
TCDSU/AMLCT
Teachers for Palestine
The Ditch
The People of Clare Against Genocide
UCD BDS
Waterford for Palestine
Tadhg Hickey, Comedian
Naoise Dolan, Writer Michael Magee, Writer
Una Mullally, Journalist
Róisín El Cherif, Singer Caoimhe Butterly, Activist Prof. Bill Rolston, Author and Activist Wieland Hoban, Composer, Chair of Jüdische Stimme Paul Murphy, TD
Bríd Smith, TD Richard Boyd Barrett, TD
And counting
Event setails:
- Title: Never Again for Anyone: Condemn German Repression and Complicity in Genocide
- Date: Saturday, 16 November, 2024
- Time: 12.30pm
- Starting location: Embassy of Germany, Trimleston Ave, Booterstown, Dublin
- Ending location: Leinster House
- Schedule:
- 12.30pm: gathering at the German Embassy
- 1.30 - 2.30pm: speeches
- 2.30 - 4.30pm: march to Leinster House
- 5:pm: additional speeches and musical performances at Leinster House
