In November, the Dutch political authorities came to terms with the Israeli soccer players after rioting in Amsterdam and to annoy violence by local residents. The injustice did not stop at the twisted stories that Dutch politicians chose to do.
The controversy gave the Dutch right-wing ruling party a rationale for planning a series of measures targeting Muslims in the country. These ideas – which may have been around for a long time – included depriving biracial people of their passports and temporary residence permits for immigrants if they were seen as “anti-Semitic” – a warning in today's political climate. , almost every statement criticizing Israel's massacre in Gaza is labeled anti-Semitic or terrorist.
Other measures include banning so-called anti-Semitic organizations from receiving government funding, labeling them terrorist groups, and putting them on sanctions lists, banning the Palestinian prisoner support group Samidoun, and violating the “glorification of terrorism” law.
Currently, the government has implemented one of these proposals – the creation of a “taskforce against anti-Semitism”. It remains to be seen if and when some will be used.
For anyone who has followed what Germany has done over the past 15 months, the words and actions of the Dutch government will sound familiar. For a year now, the German government has acted not only to support Israel, but also to violate the law and kill Muslims, immigrants and refugees. In doing so, it has set an example that other European countries are now following.
In June, Germany's parliament passed a new citizenship law that imposes an “anti-Semitism check” on applicants and prohibits granting citizenship to anyone deemed to be “anti-Semitic” or not committed to the German raison d'etat for supporting without limits. The land of Israel. The method depends on the difficulty Definition of IHRA which combines anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.
Liking a radio station with slogans like “From the river to the sea” or those that accuse Israel of killing children can be enough to deny applicants citizenship. Dual citizenship may not be safe – German law allows authorities to revoke citizenship up to 10 years after it is granted, although doing so remains extensive and untested.
In October, German lawmakers approved a new immigration policy, allowing the government to deport refugees deemed to have “anti-Semitism”.
In November, the German parliament passed a resolution targeting individuals and groups that oppose Israel. Those deemed “anti-Semitic” under the IHRA definition or found to support the Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement should be excluded from any humanitarian aid – even if their work is closely related to Palestine.
The resolution also calls for “the use of repressive measures” and the use of “criminal, residential, security and national law” against those deemed to be “anti-Semitic”.
While this decision may not be enforceable, it is also legally unchallengeable, and could have serious consequences for people who rely heavily on government funding and undermine the rights of immigrants and refugees. As Nadija Samour, senior legal adviser at the European Legal Support Center, warns, this decision “will encourage the use of migration law as a means of torture”.
Less than two weeks after the resolution was voted on, a German organization cited a decision to withdraw an architecture award given to an artist who had signed a letter criticizing Israel.
The threat of “repressive measures” is not new to the groups and organizations that are looking for Palestinian unity in Germany. Since October 7, 2023, they have been facing severe repression, police violence and surveillance, their bank accounts have been frozen and blocked by demonstrations and events, or completely banned, like Samidoun.
Rights groups have warned of Germany's reaction. They have warned that freedom of thought, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of arts and education are being violated. In a wordsThe main civil society organizations called the decision to support “serious violations of human rights and human rights and serious legal uncertainty”.
In security policy, we have seen how the most destructive immigration restrictions in one country are first challenged, then modified, and then adopted by others. A similar pattern seems to be happening with the suppression of anti-Israel protests, while the Netherlands seems to be following Germany's policy towards authoritarianism. And that's not all.
In December, France passed a bill that, if approved by the Senate, would deny citizenship, birth, or citizenship to foreigners who have been convicted of discrimination based on race, religion, or nationality. This follows a law passed in October that would make “terrorist apologetics”, denial of Israel's existence, and comparisons of Jews or Israel to the Holocaust illegal.
In what has become to be invited In an attempt to stop Palestinian activists, the UK introduced new measures extreme interpretation in March last year which prohibits “extremist” groups from receiving government funds and meeting with the authorities.
Worryingly, there has not been enough public outcry against these authoritarian tendencies. In the Netherlands, public anger centered on racist remarks made by Dutch officials after the attacks.
There was some pushback and in late November, the Dutch parliament approved a petition asking the government to collect information on the “customs and customs” of Dutch immigrants. This data is supposed to “provide information on (their) cultural integration” and help “address problems in a targeted way”. Following an outcry on social media over the apparently racist election, the Dutch Prime Minister vowed to take no further action.
But there hasn't been a large movement to mobilize protest movements and prevent other forms of repression from taking place. This is the case in other countries in Europe as well.
Europeans need to understand that protecting freedom of speech is not only about Palestinians but also about those who show solidarity with them. European history is full of examples where oppression directed at one group extends to others.
We must demand that our governments protect people's right to speak and take action against Israel's massacre in Gaza, and European cooperation in it. Ignoring this issue would allow authoritarianism to continue to spread across Europe.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect Al Jazeera's influence.