Latest news with #GermanBarAssociation
Morocco World
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Germany Moves to Deport Four Pro-Palestine Activists
Rabat – Berlin's immigration authorities have ordered four young foreign residents to leave Germany over accusation 'antisemitism' and 'support for terrorism' to due their participation in peaceful protests condemning Israel's genocide in Gaza. The deportation orders are set to take effect in less than one month despite the four individuals – three EU citizens and an American – not having been convicted of any crime. The activists, who must leave Germany by April 21, issued a joint statement accusing the German officials of weaponizing immigration law in order to silence pro-Palestinian voices. The unprecedented move has sparked concerns over freedom of speech and civil liberties in Germany, with many comparing it to the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestine activism in the US. Alexander Gorski, a lawyer representing two out of the quartet, warned that Germany is witnessing a state of political descent into far-right policies. 'What we're seeing here is straight out of the far right's playbook […] You can see it in the U.S. and Germany, too: Political dissent is silenced by targeting the migration status of protesters,' said Gorski. The lawyer noted that this isn't the first where German authorities using migration law as a 'tool of repression against social movements' stating that he has encountered more than a dozen cases of Palestinian and other Arab nationals whose refugee status or residency were revoked because of their participation in pro-Palestinian rallies or even over social media posts condemning Israel's actions in Gaza since October 2023. Under German migration law, authorities can issue deportation orders without the presence of a criminal record if the cited reason is severe enough to warrant such a punishment. 'The key question is: How severe is the threat and how proportionate the response?' said Thomas Oberhäuser, a lawyer and chair of the executive committee on migration law at the German Bar Association. 'If someone is being expelled simply for their political beliefs, that's a massive overreach.' German officials have repeatedly justified their crackdown on pro-Palestine voices as a measure to combat anti-semitism and protect the country's Jewish population, thus atoning for its Holocaust. However, many argue that Germany has failed to break from its Nazi past, pointing to its treatment of anti-Zionist Jews who have spoken up in support of Palestine. In October 2023, German authorities arrested Iris Hefets, a German-Israeli psychoanalyst in Berlin, on charges of anti-Semitism, for merely walking alone with a placard reading 'As an Israeli and as a Jew, stop the genocide in Gaza.' That same month, more than a hundred German-Jewish artists, writers, academics, journalists and cultural workers published an open letter condemning Germany's repression of pro-Palestinian speech and widespread accusations of anti-Semitism directed at everyone who criticizes Israel's actions. Tags: Berlin Germanyfree palestineGaza protests
Local Germany
19-03-2025
- Politics
- Local Germany
What are the rules in Germany on students having phones at school?
In Baden-Württemberg the state minister of education, Theresa Schopper (Greens), said she wants to restrict the private use of mobile phones at schools. She plans to introduce a new regulation with clear guidelines for the use of smartphones in schools in the south-western state. "I am concerned with the protection of our children and young people," Schopper told DPA. The negative influences of smartphones, especially for young people, have been sufficiently documented. As examples, Schopper cited consequences for the ability to concentrate, the ability to learn and mental health. Social media use has also been linked to self-esteem issues and depression in young people, and can create spaces for cyberbullying and promote loneliness. Schopper says the common goal must be that children and young people are not constantly bombarded with distracting content: "That's why we need clear, age-appropriate regulations at our schools that are widely accepted." What are the rules on phone use in schools in Germany? Germany doesn't have any federal regulations pertaining to smartphone use by students in schools, so current rules vary from state to state. So far in Baden-Württemberg schools have been able to determine their own rules on around the use of mobile phones. The education minister would like to create a state-wide minimum set of regulations, with the goal of increasing protections for young people, but she has yet to clarify what that regulation would look like. READ ALSO: 'Weeks of wild uncertainty' - The stress of choosing the right school in Germany According to information shared on the German Bar Association's website , a general ban on phones for students is not planned in any federal state. A blanket phone ban would also be difficult to maintain legally, according to Dr. Matthias Ruckdäschel, a lawyer from the German Bar Association, "There can always be situations that justify the use of mobile phones." For instance many students need to use them to communicate with parents and caretakers after school. Advertisement But some states have introduced pretty strict policies on phone use at school. For example, a Bavarian law says that "mobile phones and other digital storage media" must be switched off on school grounds. So pupils can bring mobile phones with them, but must keep them turned off throughout the entire school day while on campus. Of course the use of phones during class time is prohibited in most schools regardless of state rules. Also, any use of phones during tests or exams can be considered an attempt to cheat, and this has been legally confirmed in a prior court case. Can teachers confiscate students' cell phones? School laws in German states often do allow teachers to take students' phones away when they violate class or school rules. Teachers are not, however, allowed to check students' phones, for example to see what they are looking at or look at any of their personal data. Rules on how long a teacher can keep a confiscated phone are not entirely clear. For example, the Bavarian law says devices can be retained "temporarily". Generally, one might expect that a phone confiscated for use during class would be returned by the end of the school day, but this has yet to be confirmed in a legal dispute. Advertisement Photos and videos can only be taken with consent Students need to be cautious about taking pictures or videos of people at school, including their teachers or classmates. In Germany, taking pictures of people without permission is seen as a violation of their rights. If a student filmed their teacher without permission, the teacher may demand that the footage be deleted. If it was posted online, they could take legal action. In one case from North Rhine-Westphalia, it was confirmed that a student could be transferred to another class after they posted a video of their teacher on Facebook. READ ALSO: Six surprising facts about Germany's school system
