Berlin, Germany – September 8, 2025
From “Black September“ to October 7: Anti-Palestinian Repression in Germany Then and Now. The German state’s response to pro-Palestinian activism has been a subject of intense scrutiny, with critics and academics drawing stark parallels between the government’s crackdown following the 1972 Munich Olympic Games massacre and its actions after the October 7, 2023, attacks. The comparison, outlined in a recent analysis by a solidarity group, highlights a long history of state-sanctioned repression, surveillance, and censorship aimed at Palestinian communities and their allies in Germany.
Headline Points:
* Historical Parallel: Analysts are drawing a direct line between the government’s reaction to the “Black September” attack in 1972 and its current crackdown on pro-Palestinian movements after October 7, 2023.
* Aggressive State Repression: Following both events, the German state launched campaigns of what critics call “aggressive, racist repression,” including raids on homes, bans on organizations, and mass arrests and interrogations.
* Legal and Institutional Weaponization: Since October 7, there have been over 760 documented incidents of state repression, including the weaponization of migration law to threaten non-citizens, including many stateless Palestinians, with deportation.
* Freedom of Speech Under Attack: Protests have been met with disproportionate force, and even common slogans like “From the River to the Sea” have been criminalized, while Palestinian cultural symbols like the keffiyeh have been banned in some schools.
* Censorship and Event Bans: Over 200 Palestine-related events, from academic lectures to cultural exhibitions, have been canceled or disrupted, and organizations like Samidoun have been banned.
* Official Stance and its Impact: The German government’s declaration of Israel’s security as a matter of “Staatsräson” (reason of state) is seen by critics as a tool to silence dissent and justify the suppression of Palestinian voices.
In 1972, following the hostage-taking and murder of Israeli athletes by the Black September militant group at the Munich Olympics, the West German government responded with a widespread campaign of repression. This included immediate raids on the homes and meeting places of Arab communities, interrogations of hundreds of people, and the outright banning of Palestinian student and worker unions affiliated with the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). These bans remain in effect to this day.
More than five decades later, a new wave of anti-Palestinian repression has emerged in Germany. This intensified after the October 7, 2023, attacks. Human rights organizations and legal aid funds have documented hundreds of incidents of state-led suppression. These actions range from police crackdowns on peaceful protests to the cancellation of cultural and academic events, and the use of migration law to target and threaten foreign nationals.
The suppression is not limited to public gatherings. The German government’s policy of tying citizenship applications to an applicant’s affirmation of “Israel’s right to exist” has been widely condemned as a loyalty test. There have also been cases of foreign nationals with connections to Palestine being barred from entering the country, including in what critics have described as absurd cases.
The debate is fueled by Germany’s historical responsibility for the Holocaust. For many, the country’s uncritical support for Israel is seen as a way to atone for its past. However, critics argue that this “memory culture” is being instrumentalized to silence any criticism of Israeli policy and to brand pro-Palestinian activism as inherently antisemitic. This has created a climate of fear and self-censorship, particularly among students and those with ties to the Middle East, who risk their careers or residency status for speaking out.
Despite the repression, the Palestinian solidarity movement in Germany has grown exponentially since October 7. Demonstrations have regularly drawn tens of thousands of people, indicating that the government’s clampdown has not succeeded in stifling dissent. Nevertheless, with more deportations announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the continued targeting of activists and organizations, the legal and social struggle for Palestinian rights in Germany is set to continue.
