The Berlin District Court on Tuesday fined a 22-year-old woman 600 euros for calling for the destruction of Israel, after she shouted during an anti-Israel rally, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." In Germany, as in Israel, many see this slogan as an antisemitic call for the extermination of Israel from the face of the earth.
The trial in which the verdict was reached was the first of its kind in Germany for using the antisemitic slogan "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." The accused is Eva M., 22, who chanted the hateful slogan at a rally in Berlin's Neukalen district, an area known as an anti-Israel stronghold. The defendant's lawyers argued that she should be acquitted due to the vagueness of the chant, but their defense was rejected.
The trial in Berlin was accompanied by a loud protest by left-wing activists and pro-Palestinian organizations and, shortly after the verdict was handed down, court officials had to evacuate the courtroom due to rioting. During the hearing, demonstrators in front of the court building repeatedly chanted: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
The Israeli embassy in Germany said in a statement that "Berlin once again proves its determination to act against support for terrorist organizations and calls for the destruction of Israel. After outlawing any activity supporting Hamas and announcing the closure of the Islamic Center in Hamburg, this is another link in the chain of actions taken by the German government."