German state bans pro-Palestine group over 'antisemitism', raids former members' homes

Pro-Palestine group Palästina e.V. was banned by the German state of Hesse on Tuesday over accusations of antisemitism and support for terrorism.

Authorities raided five properties linked to the group, which an administrative court had previously ruled was carrying out activities that contradict Germany's constitutional order.

“With the ban on the association Palästina e.V., Hesse is sending a clear signal in favor of decisive action by the rule of law and against the rise of antisemitism,” Hesse Interior Minister Roman Poseck said in a statement.

The Interior Ministry also accused the group of "spreading antisemitic stereotypes, deepening social tensions, and seriously undermining the principle of international understanding".

The ban comes after months of investigations against Palästina e.V., with authorities having raided homes of the group's leaders in January 2025.

Hesse's Interior Ministry said that the group “spread antisemitic positions, denied the right of the State of Israel to exist, and disseminated corresponding propaganda publicly", adding that its activities "fuel antisemitic resentment and spread anti-Israel narratives".

Palästina e.V. was founded in January 2022 in Frankfurt, with its statutes calling for support for "all forms of Palestinian resistance" and the "liberation of all of historical Palestine from Zionist occupation, from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea" - a slogan banned by Germany's federal government in 2024.

Authorities also accused the group of supporting terror, highlighting remarks made by a prominent member who described the 7 October attacks on Israel as a "successful resistance action". It is unclear when the statements were made.

Palästina e.V. dissolved itself in 2024, however authorities continued their investigations into the group due to the continued pro-Palestine activism of its members.

In its last statement on social media, the group said: “If you thought we’d just sit here like rabbits frozen in fear, waiting for your next attack, you are mistaken! You wanted to ban our association? It no longer exists! We officially announce the dissolution of Palästina eV!"

The ban follows similar measures carried out against pro-Palestine groups in Germany, in what activists have described as a crackdown on criticism of Israel.

In late 2023, Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior banned international pro-Palestine network Samidoun and its local chapter, Samidoun Deutschland, accusing it of supporting Hamas.

In May 2024, Palestine Solidarity Duisburg (PSDU) was banned by authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia state after raids on members' homes.

Germany has supported Israel through its war on Gaza, including through arms sales and political solidarity with Tel Aviv. This has been accompanied by a domestic crackdown on pro-Palestine activism, including blanket bans on protests.

Germany has long portrayed its support for Israel as part of its repaying a historical debt for the holocaust - a framing activists have said places a false equivalence between the state of Israel and the Jewish people.