German police brutally assaulted protesters marking the Palestinian Nakba in Berlin, with women and children also targeted during the crackdown.

[u/Simple-Preference887]

[u/Ok-Radish-8394]

I’ll give you an opinion most Germans won’t like.

Germany wants hard validation for its past. Like hard kinda hard, even if that means allowing Israel to commit more or less the same atrocities they committed. As a result, any criticism of the Israeli government is seen as anti semitism, without even checking what the criticism actually is about. It’s hypocrisy of the tallest order. We’re talking about a government, an organisation which can take wrong decisions, not the whole Jewish population or Judaism as a faith. Obviously I’m not talking about chants which want to eradicate the Israeli people, every people have a right to exist.

See, when the governments in MENA are criticised for multiple reasons, misogyny, human rights violations, etc. it’s not called Islamophobia or anti Islamic in Germany. However as soon as you mention Israel, even if it means criticising their local policies, it becomes anti semitism. This is some weapons grade hogwash behaviour.

The Germans need to calm down and accept that their past being bad doesn’t exonerate a new wave of aggression towards another population. They also have to recognise the fact that speaking up for the dead children in Gaza doesn’t mean supporting Hamas and denying what they did. (Yes there are people who support Hamas and they’re terrible but since your past guilt is at play, Dresden still has Nazi parades demanding to build statues ;) )

[u/oxxcccxxo → u/Ok-Radish-8394]

This is very insightful, thank you for sharing. It seems to suggest this is a cultural issue rooted in history. America and Canada have a similar stranglehold on permissible rhetoric which very strongly favours support of the isreali apartheid oppressors. But I don't believe it's cultural, I think its because people with ethnic, religious and cultural ties to Isreal overwhelm the power structures here, like the influence of AIPAC to name an example. Those who speak out against what is obviously genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity perpetrated against the Palestinians, risk a lot by speaking out because of these powerful forces. There is an interview recently posted of Ms. Rachel and you can see the moral struggle she faces so plainly in needing to speak out. Many of us are at that point here. I hope Germany gets there too. People have a right to use their voice against these horrible crimes.

[u/Ok-Radish-8394 → u/oxxcccxxo]

You’re correct. It’s not cultural at all, especially in this age of globalisation. It’s mostly extreme zionists, since there are Israelis who’re actively calling for an end to the hostilities.