Overview

• The Amtsgericht Tiergarten acquitted a 38-year-old activist of using the slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” as a prohibited Hamas sign but fined her €1,800 for assaulting officers.
• The Berlin public prosecutor lodged an unspecified appeal on August 1, pending review of the court’s written ruling.
• Germany’s interior ministry classifies the slogan as a banned symbol of Hamas under Section 86a of the Criminal Code, but lower courts remain divided in their interpretations.
• Constitutional scholar Volker Boehme-Neßler criticized the trial judge for bias, while the International Auschwitz Committee condemned the acquittal as a bitter message to survivors.
• The activist maintains she chanted the slogan to call for Palestinian justice and self-determination and denies any antisemitic intent.