Talks by UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese in Europe continue to face fierce pressure. Following the withdrawal of an invitation by some Dutch parliamentarians, German authorities have gone to great lengths to obstruct events where Albanese was scheduled to speak. Two German universities canceled events that had already been announced and had garnered widespread interest. However, activists secured alternative venues, ensuring Albanese could still present the results of her work.
Yet even non-institutional venues were not spared from pressure. The publisher of Junge Welt, which stepped in to host the event “Reclaiming the Discourse: Palestine, Justice, and Truth“ after it was cast out from its original location, found itself facing nearly 100 police officers. Inside the hall, around 200 attendees gathered to hear Albanese speak. Despite protests, the police remained stationed at the venue throughout the event, serving as a clear reminder of the dire state of free expression in Germany. While the hosts are considering legal action against the police, such repression is expected to persist, as left-wing activists remain under surveillance and students organizing Palestine solidarity events at universities face persecution.
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Organizations hosting Albanese, including the political platform DiEM25, have described these pressures as “a direct assault on the rule of law and the core principles of democracy.” Similarly, the Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance – Reason and Justice, along with members of the left party Die Linke, condemned the suppression of academic freedom and the silencing of discussions on Palestine soon after the news of the cancellations.
According to Albanese, Germany is the first country she has visited recently where universities have capitulated to pressure and canceled her speeches. “This gives me a sense of the state of the debate in this country,” she told attendees of Reclaiming the Discourse. Throughout the discussion, the UN Special Rapporteur emphasized the lengths to which many European governments are willing to go to suppress debates on Palestine—Germany, in particular, leading the charge. Despite the authorities’ repressive actions, she insisted that “it’s not a crime to talk about Germany’s implications and responsibilities vis-à-vis what’s happening in Palestine.”
She also urged participants to reject fear and organize against the climate of repression surrounding discussions on Palestine in Europe, describing it as an atmosphere lacking oxygen. “It’s no longer [just] about Palestine,” she continued. “When I see police officers in Europe using the stick against people standing against injustice, when I see Jewish people in this country being lectured about what antisemitism is—I say something has gone wrong.”
“I wouldn’t feel comfortable living in a country where you cannot talk about a people who are being genocided,” she added.
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In their attempts to silence Albanese, Zionist groups and other right-wing organizations have attempted to smear her as antisemitic. Some have fallen for this ruse, but many more continue to stand by her and amplify her work. While audience members noted that university staff largely failed to publicly support her or defend academic freedom following the cancellations, Albanese pointed to the legal and academic experts, including in the Global South, who have spoken out, urging institutions to refuse such repression.
“While our politicians and universities fail to show respect for a UN Special Rapporteur, we, as international lawyers, fail a colleague and a luminary in these dark times by not standing up for her against false and unfounded accusations,” wrote public and international economic law expert and professor Isabel Feichtner. “Most of all, however, we fail our students, broader society, and the very idea of human rights, which—if they are to have any meaning—must serve the powerless.”
