Those who are not German citizens and spread antisemitic hate or commit violent acts must have their residential status put into question in Germany, according to German Minister of Justice Dr. Marco Buschmann.
He spoke at Joint Perspectives, a cooperative conference hosted by WELT (Axel Springer SE) and The Jerusalem Post, to discuss the challenges and obstacles that have arisen in the wake of the October 7 massacre and the resulting war.
Upon beginning his speech, he confessed that it is only “half-true” that he was happy to be in attendance. “Of course, I’m delighted to have the opportunity to talk to some distinguished individuals,” he clarified. “But I am not happy about the reason for being here today - none of us are”.
“Jews were so indisputably the victims” on October 7, he explained, repeating the concern over rising antisemitism in the wake of the war, in the world and in Germany specifically.
“Those who plan or commit acts of violence against Jews in this country will face charges,” he said. “Those who disseminate propaganda… who condone criminal acts are engaging in criminal acts and will be prosecuted accordingly. And if they are not German citizens… we must look at their residence status.”
The justice minister explained that the last thing the German government wishes is for antisemites to become German citizens.
Not just in person
Antisemitism is just as prevalent online as it is in person – even more so. “Since the 7th of October, the [police] has sent… 2,977 deletion requests to service providers,” Buschmann revealed.
He also said that the German government “has banned the use of the slogan, ‘From the River to the Sea/Palestine will be Free.’
“I have every confidence that the commission will keep a close eye on the situation and take appropriate action when necessary. It is not acceptable for T-shirts questioning the existence of Israel to be available to order on the internet,” he said.
Buschmann made a plea with the media: “That Hamas not be confused with a news agency.”
“Antisemites hate Jews, but in doing so, they hate people,” he continued. “In fact, they hate humanity itself because those that oppress a particular group of people would do the same to another. In this conflict, we stand beside Israel. That is where Germany belongs.”
He further stated that those who say Germany should look at both sides of the conflict must know that is “exactly what we do… On the one side, we see a fanatical Islamist regime, on the other, we see a liberal democracy.
“We know exactly where we stand. We stand with the victims, with liberal democracy, with Jews; we stand with Israel. We stand with Israel because we know who started the terror of the 7th of October.”
Finally, he said that “We stand with Israel because we are convinced that our friends in Israel know that even a legitimate war must come to an end one day,” also hinting at the need for a ceasefire.